AgendaX
by Erik Howlett
Summary: AU. The night Naruto is born, Sarutobi sends him to America to be raised by Yondaime's old friends, the Uncanny XMen! 13 years later, he returns to Konoha to begin his ninja training, with interesting results. Discontinued, sorry. I own nothing.
1. 1 The Birth of a Hero

**Hey gang! Erik Howlett here with a new tale of excitement and Naruto awesomeness! In this AU tale, Naruto is sent to live in America with some friends of Yondaime's after the Kyuubi's attack. But these people are no ordinary humans. No, they are none other than the Uncanny X-Men themselves! After 12 years under their guidance and care, he returns to Konoha to begin his ninja training. How will their teaching affect the future of this young shinobi, read on to find out. Please note that I do not own _Naruto_ or any of the _Marvel_ related characters/ equipment mentioned here.**

"Talking."

'_Thinking/ telepathy._'

**"Kyuubi speaking through Naruto."**

_**'Kyuubi's thoughts'**_

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Birth of a Hero.**

It was that dark night in Konoha when Kyuubi-no-Kitsune, the Nine-tailed fox demon attacked the village for reasons as of yet unknown. Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, was preparing to do battle with the demon, knowing all too well he couldn't kill the monster. So, he told Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, of his plan for the events that were sure to unfold in the aftermath of the battle. "If I die, Sandaime-dono, I want you to go ahead with the plan I told you of if things were to go amiss," said the Yondaime as the roars of the fox demon echoed across the forest.

"I can fully understand why that would happen, Minato," replied Sarutobi. "After all, you are sealing the beast within the child."

"Right," said Minato ominously. "So you know what must be done."

"Yes," replied Sarutobi as they both sped off to halt the beast's rampage any way they could.

Many grueling hours later, the devastating battle had come to a close. The Kyuubi had been sealed within a newborn baby named Uzumaki Naruto. Sarutobi stepped out onto the balcony of the Hokage's office and made an important announcement to the villagers present.

"Yondaime has defeated Kyuubi-no-Kitsune, but has sacrificed his life in doing so, to save us all," Sarutobi remarked with a heavy heart. "The demon has been suppressed and sealed inside a newborn boy, Uzumaki Naruto, as Yondaime's last act of heroism. It is his dying wish is that you all treat this boy as a hero for restraining the beast. Also, I hereby issue a decree that there be no spoken mention of what has occurred this dark night, not even to your children, and those who do so shall be severely punished."

All at once, the crowd that had gathered became enraged and incited a riot. Some began to hurl garbage and others started to blindly attack the ANBU Black Ops that had been called in to restrain them.

"Quickly, we must kill the boy, before the demon takes him over!" shouted a villager.

"Destroy the monster!" yelled another.

"Damn, I was afraid of this. The people still fear the unknown more than they are concerned for the boy's well-being. Looks like I'll have to go with the Fourth's contingency plan," Sarutobi mumbled to himself as he and a group of ANBU teleported to the top of Hokage Mountain. "We will wait here for the boy's foster parents to arrive, as Yondaime planned in case this happened," he said to them as he cradled Naruto's small, sleeping form in his arms.

"Sandaime-sama, are you sure that the boy will be safe with these people?" asked an ANBU with silver hair a few moments later.

"Of course I'm sure Kakashi. I've met with them before, even accompanied them on several missions in the past. They are more than capable of protecting the boy, as well as raising him and teaching him how to control the abilities that may result as a by-product of his merging with the Kyuubi. Now be ready, they will be landing within a few moments."

"How do you know, Sandaime-sama?"

_'Because I've told him we would,'_ came a voice from within Kakashi's mind. The ANBU jumped suddenly, searching around for the source of the voice (much to Sarutobi's amusement). _'What sort of jutsu is this?' _Kakashi wondered inwardly.

_'This is no jutsu Kakashi, rather telepathy, a psychic ability that I've developed as a result of my own genetic mutation. You will see my true, physical form in a moment once we land."_

_'We?' _wondered the confused ANBU. Just then, a metallic whirring sound reached their highly trained ears. They looked up to find the source of the sound, only to see a huge black SR-77 Blackbird stealth jet lowering out of the sky. As the ANBU agents looked on in amazement, the jet landed and the catwalk extended from its under-carriage. A hatch opened on the bottom, and three figures disembarked from the jet.

One was a bald, well-dressed man, who rode towards them in a motorized wheelchair. The one to his right was a short man with a stocky, powerful physique, dressed in a jet-black uniform with a red "X" on either shoulder. His eyes were the one thing that unnerved Kakashi; they were the eyes of a predator. The figure to the left of the man in the wheelchair was an African-American woman with white hair, clad in a similar uniform, but with a long black cape. She seemed to enjoy the stormy weather that had been brewing that night, smiling as the icy wind brushed across her face, sending her hair billowing around her like a cloud.

"It's good to see you again Sarutobi," said the man in the wheelchair. "Though, I wish it was under much happier circumstances."

"As do I Charles," replied Sarutobi remorsefully. "As do I."

"You're the voice I heard in my mind a moment ago," remarked Kakashi in surprise.

"Indeed I am Kakashi. My name is Professor Charles Xavier, I am a telepath."

"A mutant?" asked Kakashi, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. I founded the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, a school were mutants learn to control their powers to either become productive members of society, or join what the students have affectionately called, the "X-Men." We act as a global peace-keeping force against any threat to the world, both human and mutant alike."

"Yes, I believe I've heard of the X-Men somewhere before."

"Well I'll be damned," said the stocky man. "If it ain't Kakashi Hatake. Last I saw you; you'd just been promoted to Jounin. How ya been kid?"

"Logan?!" Kakashi exclaimed in disbelief. "Is that really you?"

"Yeah, but I go by Wolverine these days, sometimes." Guess we've both changed a lot over the years, huh kid?"

"I guess so." After a few moments of explaining what had transpired, both Charles and Sarutobi had come to the conclusion that it would be best for Naruto to be raised by the X-Men. Astonishingly, Logan offered to be Naruto's step-father. "I owe it ta Minato after Mastermind ruined my wedding ta Mariko," he said. "She was his cousin ya know, and hit their family real hard when the Hand killed her to get to me. I just hope that I can be the right kinda dad for this kid."

"As you wish Logan-san," said Sarutobi respectfully. "Once he is of age, he may return to the village to begin his ninja training, if you so wish."

"I would be honored for him to learn the ways of his real father. It only seems fitting that he become a shinobi."

"I agree," interjected Xavier.

With that, Sarutobi handed Charles a duffle bag full of supplies that they would possibly need to aid in the boy's up-bringing. It contained a number of scrolls on ninjutsu, chakra, the Bijuu, the history of both shinobi and Konoha, as well as various ninja tools. Charles thanked his old friend and shook his hand, assuring him they'd keep him posted on Naruto's growth and progress as a future shinobi. As Logan stepped forward to take Naruto from Sarutobi's arms, a man burst from the trees wielding a katana. "Die, fox-demon!!" he yelled as he ran towards Naruto's small form.

_'This must be one of the villagers from the riot,' _Kakashi surmised as he reached for his ninjuto blade and moved to get between the man and Naruto. _'How could he have followed us here without our knowing?'_

Just as Kakashi moved to defend Naruto and Sarutobi, Logan vaulted over him and ran at the would-be assassin low to the ground, his arms outstretched at either side. With the flick of his wrist, a set of three, insanely sharp claws, each about as long as his forearm, extended from his left hand, unsheathing with a distinctive _snikt._ "RRRAAAAWWRR!!!!" he howled in rage as he lashed out with his left arm, slicing the katana to shreds. As the man stared at him in disbelief, Logan seized his right arm, wrenched it behind the man's back and twisted it, the pain forcing him to his knees. He balled his right hand into a fist and placed it behind the assassin's head, unsheathing two more claws on either side of his head.

"Now," he whispered in the man's ear threateningly. "Unless you wanna experience what the middle claw feels like, you'll turn yourself in to these ANBU here, and stay the hell away from my son...got it bub?" The man nodded his head in compliance, whimpering pathetically in fright. Logan shoved the assailant to Kakashi, who cuffed him and rendered him unconscious with a genjutsu.

"I think it's time we took our leave," said Storm in a concerned voice.

"Yes, in case more of them have followed us here," agreed Sarutobi.

With that the two parties said their goodbyes and parted ways. Kakashi at the Blackbird as it rose into the air, then vanished into the night. Aboard the jet, Logan held Naruto in his arms, a father for the first time in his life. _'Mariko,'_ he thought as he let the child clasp one of his fingers. _'I promise that I'll keep this boy safe, even if it cost's me my own life. No one will ever harm him like the Hand did you and our child, this I swear.'_ At that moment, Storm came in the passenger bay and sat down next to her teammate, smiling at the sight of gruff 'n tough Wolverine playing with a baby. "Are you going soft on us Logan?" she probed with a sing-song tone in her voice.

"You ain't gotta worry 'bout that Ororo," he said with a smirk. "Even though I've got a kid in my life now, I'll always be in the mood for a good scrap."

"Good to hear." Storm then reached over and took Naruto from Logan, smiling at him lovingly. "Hey baby, I'm your auntie Ororo," she told the child, prompting a smile from him. "Welcome to the X-Men."

* * *

**Thirteen years later...**

Naruto was called into Professor Xavier's office at the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning early that afternoon. He'd just returned from a mission in Brazil with Sunspot and a few of the New X-Men trainees, so he knew he wasn't in any trouble. _'Still, you never know with Xavier-Oij-sama,' _he thought as he entered the telepath's office. "Good to know you're still on your toes Naruto," said Charles as he entered, prompting a foxy-grin from the teen. "And no, you're not in trouble at all. Please have a seat."

"Xavier-Oij-sama," he began to say, his heritage kicking in a bit. "I mean, Professor, why did you send for me? Is dad in trouble or something?"

"No, no, no, Logan is perfectly fine. He's in the Danger Room as we speak, training your sister Laura. But, back to matters at hand, your father has told you about the Village Hidden in the Leaves before, correct?"

"Yeah, I know all about my birthplace and my real father too, why?"

"Well, ever since last year, the Hand, the Reavers, as well as the Weapon X Program have begun to take a serious interest in your powers. I fear that they may attempt to kill you. Therefore, your father and I feel that it's time you returned to Konoha and began your ninja training."

"I guess if it's what you and dad want, then sure, I'll go. It sounds like it'd be pretty fun, plus I haven't been to Japan that much."

"Excellent. Now, Japan is the Hand's homebase, and though I'm sure none have infiltrated Konoha, I don't like the idea of you going in unprepared. So before you leave on the Blackbird tonight, I'd like you to pack your X-Men uniform in with your regular luggage, along with your two .50 AE Desert Eagles with their hip-holsters, and two spare 9-round magazines, as well as a few lengths of Tetsugen wire. Your motorcycle will be aboard when you arrive."

The professor then handed Naruto a card and an official S.H.I.E.L.D. ID with his photo on it.

"What are these for?" Naruto questioned.

"The card is to access yours and your birth-father's bank accounts. The badge on the other hand, is to give you access to a S.H.I.E.L.D. weapons cache and storage base in the village. Their superior is an old friend of your uncle Sunfire, and they will accept you on the spot. You can access the facility at anytime to pick up any equipment you may need."

"One more thing Professor, where am I gonna stay? If the people there are like they are here in America, then I'd guess that mutants aren't on their list of preferred house guests."

"That too has been taken care of," said Charles with a smile. With the push of a button, a hologram of a large mansion estate appeared over his desk. "Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, has already received the results of the DNA tests we took when you were born, and shown them to the village counsel, confirming you as Minato's rightful heir. They have agreed to grant you access to all of your father's affects, including his title, family fortune, and mansion estate, among other things. Now, to ensure your safety, I've had Forge outfit the mansion with a number of security devices, both human and Shi'ar alike. These will help to protect you from any enemies you may encounter while you're there. However, before you go off exploring, I'd like for you to meet up with Sarutobi first, if you don't mind."

"Sure thing. So, I really have to leave tonight, huh?"

"Yes. I'm sorry Naruto, but this is for your own safety. Now, if it were up to your father and I, we would have you stay here. But given the circumstances, we have no choice."

"Then, thanks just the same," said Naruto, shaking Charles' hand and bowing respectfully. "Arigato, Oij-sama."

"You are most welcome, Naruto-kun," replied the telepath with a smirk.

* * *

Three hours later, Naruto found himself sitting the cargo-bay of the Blackbird with his Ducati trying to keep from falling asleep when he heard Bobby Drake's voice come over his comlink. "Hey Naruto, we're approximately three miles above the village, if you wanna take a look." Naruto rushed to the window and saw Bobby was right: what was below looked somewhat like a big city instead of a shinobi village, and there was a ninja-version of Mount Rushmore that overlooked the rest of the landscape. _'Looks like I'm home, Dad,'_ he thought as he adjusted his Dust Goggles and strapped on his gear. "I'm gonna point us towards the Tokyo International Airport," Bobby said, bringing him out of his thoughts. 

"From there it'll take us five more hours just to get back here," Naruto reasoned. "Head for that clearing on the outskirts of the village."

"What?!"

"Just do it!!" Once he was sure they were over the clearing, Naruto punched the button for the cargo-bay doors, which flew open with a gust of air. "If you break something, Logan's gonna take it out on me in our next Danger Room session!" came Bobby's voice over his ear-piece.

"Relax _mom_," yelled Naruto as he mounted his bike and edged it down the ramp. "This is gonna be awesome!!!" And with that, he pushed off with his feet and both he and the bike flew out into open space. "WAAAAHOOOOO!"

About the time he was about two miles from the ground, he decided that it was time to land. _'Kyuubi, I'm gonna need some chakra for setting this thing down safely.'_

_**'Gotcha Kit.'**_

Naruto instantly felt a rush of power and smiled inwardly. He'd known about the Kyuubi for six years now, and since then he'd become good friends with the fox. He'd also learned Kyuubi had both awakened his own latent mutation and enabled him to mimic the abilities of some of the X-Men. These powers were mainly from Professor X, Beast, Nightcrawler, and his step-father, Logan, who'd recently, discovered his true name. So far, Naruto had exhibited the Professor's telepathy (to a lesser degree); Beast's retractable claws, dexterity, and agility; Nightcrawler's teleportation and shadow-melt abilities; and Wolverine's animalistic qualities (which were already prevalent, due to Kyuubi's presence). As the ground quickly rose to meet him, Naruto focused on a small hill near the village gate. He closed his eyes, and then vanished in a black cloud of sulfurous smoke..,

Only to reappear at the foot of the hill he'd targeted a few moments ago. He thanked Kyuubi mentally, then fired up his bike's four-cylinder engine and roared up the hill towards Konoha. At the top of the hill's crest he flew into the air and through the gates, as well as over the heads of a pair of extremely startled ANBU escorts. After he'd landed and shut off the motor, one of them finally got the guts to question him.

"Who are you, and what is your business here," he asked.

"I am Naruto Uzumaki-Howlett," Naruto responded showing them his ID.

The guards suddenly remembered his name, as they'd been instructed by Sarutobi to welcome him to Konoha. He'd told them that though Naruto was the vessel for Kyuubi, he was to be treated with the same respect they would show any other shinobi. James Howlett (I.E. Logan/Wolverine), Naruto's step-father, was considered to be tougher than any of them, despite his height. They both bowed to him respectfully and ushered him into the Hokage's office. After Naruto and Sarutobi had gotten better acquainted, he rode to his father's estate and began to unpack.

"Man this place is huge! I think I'm gonna like it here," he remarked as he took in the main atrium.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Naruto-kun," replied an automated, yet female voice from one of the wall-mounted security panels on the side of the room.

"Good to see Forge uploaded you into the new system Cerebra," he said to his personal Shi'ar program.

The mansion itself was half the size of the X-Mansion, but still very large. It had an upstairs game-room, a large master bedroom (which Naruto claimed immediately), a ballroom for formal gatherings, an indoor gym, a hot-spring spa, a well-stocked kitchen, an armory, three extra guest rooms, a dining area, an indoor Zen garden, and an observation tower. Outside was a garage for Naruto's motorcycle, which was stocked with a number of S.H.I.E.L.D. technologies that he could use to repair it. There was also a hedge maze, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a firing range, a basketball court, and a small pagoda that overlooked the lake at the forest's edge.

"Feels like home to me," Naruto said as he punched his security code into the monitor in the armory, which Forge had linked to the rest of the house's security systems. Suddenly the screen informed him that someone was at the door. A moment later, the doorbell sounded. Naruto took one last look at the monitor before rushed out of the room and slid down the handrail. The Shi'ar scanning tech hadn't registered any weapons on the newcomer, but he wasn't taking any chances. He picked up one of his Colt Python .357 magnum revolvers and flicked off the safety as he answered the door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Naruto?" said the man on the other side of the door. He had a large scar across his nose and nose bridge, his hair was up in a ponytail, and he looked very friendly. However, Naruto knew from his dealings with Mystique that appearances could be deceiving.

"Who wants to know?" he asked as he thumbed back the hammer on the Python.

"Iruka Umino, your instructor at the Ninja Academy."

Naruto ran the image from the camera through the roster of Konoha shinobi his Shi'ar headset had on file. He sweat-dropped slightly when Iruka's name, photo, brain pattern, and genetics scan all came back positive. _'I really need to stop being so paranoid,' _he thought as he set the revolver down and unlocked the door.

"Gomen Iruka-sensei," he said, bowing respectfully. "I didn't mean to come across so paranoid, but considering that my dad taught me never to go by appearances, it was kinda instinct."

"It's okay Naruto," Iruka said with a grin. "I just stopped by to welcome you to the Ninja Academy. Classes start Monday at 9:00 am, so please be as punctual as you can."

"No problem Iruka-sensei, thanks for they heads up." He then shut the door as Iruka left and went back upstairs to the armory to finish his systems check. _'Hmm, looks like Forge didn't leave any XM-165 Plasma Grenades,'_ he thought as he looked over his weapons inventory on Cerebra's data-banks. _'I'd better stop by the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility tomorrow and pick up some.'_ Just as he was about to call it a night, he noticed a file on the desktop that he hadn't before. It had the same coding as Xavier's Cerebro Files, but was labled as _**"Agenda-X: Konoha Files."**_ Intrigued, he opened the file and was surprised at what he found.

"Whoa, there are a number of Genin like me in the Ninja Academy with latent X-Genes!" he exclaimed. "If I can figure out their abilities, then help them learn to control them, I might be able to set up my own branch of X-Men here in Konoha!"

A few moments later, he was busy conversing with the Professor about the file and those listed in it. "I thought you would find that interesting," Xavier replied. "Anyhow, it was our intention for you to help these children in the first place."

"Really?" Naruto asked in amazement. "But, why me?"

"You've led a number of high-priority missions in the past few years and have always come out on top, with little or no injuries to yourself or your teammates as well. So it seemed only fitting that you be the one to help them discover their powers and instruct them on how to control them properly. I have full trust in your abilities and your leadership skills in this matter Naruto; there's no doubt in my mind about this."

"Gee, thanks Professor. I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say anything Naruto. It's getting late, and you need your rest."

"Ok," Naruto replied as he signed off and headed to bed. He stayed awake for a while, excited by the fact that he wasn't the only mutant in the village. His last thought before sleep finally found him was, _'Man, I wonder what they'll be like..."_ He slept like a baby all through the night, and it was a good thing too. Because tomorrow, the real work would begin.

* * *

**And so begins yet another of my crazy story ideas. I'd like to issue a big thank you to all my first reviewers, who've inspired me to continue with this fic. The whole weapons idea was inspired by my friend MP5, and his Naruto stories. Please note that I have ZERO intent on copying his particular style (I mean, how could I? Its way beyond my own). If you get a chance, read his ****Konoha Marksman ****story, its plain AWESOME! Remember to R&R as you see fit.**


	2. 2 Back to School

**Face Front True Believers (I've always wanted to say that), Chapter 2 is now up and running! I may have lost my train of thought for a bit there, but the ideas are beginning to flow again, so it's starting to come together pretty well. My many thanks to my friends ****symbiotic**** and ****MP5****, who've helped me by equal parts inspiration and reviewing. Now get set, 'cause its Naruto's first day of school, and he's all set to start learning what it means to be a shinobi. Remember to R&R as you guys see fit, I enjoy a little ****_constructive criticism_ ****every now and then.

* * *

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**Chapter 2: Back to school... again.**

The sun rose early on Monday, streaming into Naruto's room and glancing off his eyes. He winced in discomfort and pulled the covers over his head sleepily. Just as he was about to drift back to sleep, he remembered what day it was and leapt out of his king-sized bed and rushed to the shower. Once he had dried off, he changed into his "civilian" clothes, which consisted of a pair of denim jeans, his Dust Goggles, a navy "Fantastic 4" t-shirt, a pair of black fingerless gloves and his standard issue sandals. "Oh man, I can't believe I almost slept in!" he exclaimed as he slid down the banister and hurried into the kitchen. He'd been _ex-static _about meeting his new classmates ever since he found out that he wasn't the only mutant in the class. Even though he'd joined mid-year, Xavier had vouched for him with Sarutobi, so he would be allowed to be in the same class as those listed in the **Agenda-X files.**

After he'd finished his breakfast and collected his scrolls and ninja gear, stuffing them into his backpack, he zipped out the front door and headed for the village. Moments later, he was bounding over the rooftops of Konoha, pulling off aerial acrobatics that few ninja could even imagine. He vaulted off a building and latched onto a clothesline that hung between the two of them with one hand; he swung himself in a circle around the rope for a few rotations, then launched himself into the air, his momentum carrying him to the building on the adjacent street. Upon his landing, he back flipped onto a chimney and leapt into the air, teleporting to the roof of Ichiraku Ramen at the height of his jump. His heightened sense of smell caught the scent of freshly cooked ramen wafting in the breeze, causing his mouth to water profusely.

_'Ugh, that smells sooooo good!'_

_**'Stay focused Kit,'**_reprimanded Kyuubi. _**'You don't wanna be late, do ya?'**_

_'Yeah, you're right Kyuubi,'_ he agreed remorsefully._ 'Even though it thoroughly pains me to say it, I guess ramen can wait... this time.'_

_**'Now that's a first; you saying ramen wait. I think Mephisto's realm just froze over.'**_

_'Oh, grow up Kyuubi.'_

As Naruto was busy talking with Kyuubi, Hinata Hyuuga happened to be passing by on her way to the Academy and glimpsed the blond crouched on the roof of the ramen shop. She had heard tell from her father that the boy was the son of an old acquaintance of his, and was somewhat of a berserker like his father; but despite this, something about him that captivated Hinata when she saw him. Maybe it was the way the wind rustled his hair, or maybe it was that carefree gleam in his eyes that spoke of mischief and adventure. But whatever the case, she fell for him right then and there._ 'So that's him,'_ she thought. _'The boy father was taking about the other day; the one everyone says is living in the Fourth's estate. Naruto Uzumaki-Howlett.'_

Just then, Naruto noticed Hinata staring at him and smiled at her. His sudden acknowledgement of her presence caused her to turn bright red, and her heart started racing a mile a minute. He gave her a short, but friendly wave and vanished in a cloud of black smoke, the smell of sulfur and brimstone lingering in the air. Surprised at his sudden disappearance, she gave slight yelp of astonishment and looked around to see where he'd gone to. A few blocks over, Naruto reappeared atop an apartment building and slumped against a ledge to catch his breath. He'd wanted to quicken his pace to the Academy so much, that he'd overshot his limit of two miles, winding him considerably; not even Nightcrawler, whom he'd known as Uncle Kurt, could travel further than three miles per 'jump.' And he was simply mimicking his powers to conserve chakra! As he sat there, he thought about the girl he'd seen staring at him. _'She seems familiar, like I know her from somewhere. Was she listed in the __**Agenda-X files**_

_**'She may have been Kit,'**_said Kyuubi with a distracted tone in his voice._**'I sensed something about her back there. Something that I know I've felt somewhere before.'**_

_'What is it?'_

_**'I don't really know Kit. It was so familiar, yet so alien.'**_

_'Oh well, can't really worry about that now,'_ thought Naruto, rising to his feet._ 'We've still got a few buildings to jump 'til we reach the Academy.'_ With that, he took a running start, and then pushed off to the next building. As he raced off to the Academy, Kyuubi sat in the back of Naruto's mind. Although he'd rarely been unnerved by mutants that out classed Naruto in the past, he was unable to shake the feeling that the girl had given him back there._** 'Maybe I'm just over-reacting. She's probably just another ordinary baseline.'**_

Nine minutes later, Naruto stepped into his classroom in the Konoha Ninja Academy. There were already a few students there, and they were busy conversing with each other. There was a rotund young man in the corner of the classroom, stuffing his face with a bag of potato chips; next to him sat a kid wearing a pineapple hair-style, snoozing away without a care in the world. _"Hey,'_ he thought for a moment._ 'I recognize that fat kid from Xavier-Oji-sama's file, cool! I wonder who else from __**Agenda-X**__ is in this classroom.'_

On the other side of the room was a boy who bore a striking resemblance to the girl he'd seen earlier. He had long black hair and a gaze so sharp that it seemed to pierce Naruto's soul when he caught his glance. He was talking to a girl who wore a Chinese-styled outfit, topped off with a pair of buns in her hair that made her look almost like a panda. Next to them was a strange looking young man in a green unitard, sporting a Moe Howard haircut and a pair of unnaturally huge eyebrows.

_'Now I know both her and that guy with the eyebrows are in Oji-sama's files,'_ Naruto thought as he made his way to his seat. _'That's three down.'_

In front of him sat a pair of girls, one with long blonde hair, and one with pink hair, who he thought was kinda cute. They seemed to trying to get the attention of the guy who sat brooding in-between them. This guy had spiky black hair and blood red eyes; he also wore a shirt that had a drawing of a red and white fan on it, marking him as a member of the once great Uchiha clan. His dad had told him about what had happened to the Uchiha all those years ago, and how only one of them had survived._ 'So that's Sasuke, the last of the Uchiha.'_ Naruto looked at him and at the pink-haired kunoichi, who was busy glaring daggers at the blonde girl._ 'Both of them are in the files too. I wonder...'_

Just then, he noticed the girl from earlier come in and sit down behind two boys. One had red fang tattoos on his cheeks, and had a puppy poking its head out of his hoodie; the other boy's face was covered by his collar and a pair of Coke-bottle glasses. _'I know I saw that guy with the puppy in the files, but I still can't figure that girl...'_ Sensing his gaze, Hinata glanced down at her hands and began to play with her fingers nervously. Before he could think any more about it, Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by Iruka, who'd just walked into the room.

"Okay class, settle down," he said as the students ceased their conversations and turned to the front of the class. "Alright everyone, today we'll be studying known Kekkei Genkai, both those native to Konohagakure, and others that have been discovered in the Five Shinobi Villages."

As Iruka began his lecture, Naruto listened intently to what he was saying about Kekkei Genkai. He was intrigued at how much these bloodline traits resembled X-Gene related mutations; the similarities between the two were _uncanny_!

_'Cool,'_ he thought as Iruka continued his lecture._ 'Its possible that Kekkei Genkai are actually mutations that have been strengthened with each new generation, like with Husk and Cannonball's family, the Guthrie's. If that's true, then some of these guys in the Prof's files may be the next step in the evolution of their bloodline's mutation. A whole new breed of ninja!'_

As he sat pondering the similarities of both mutations, he never even noticed that Hinata was staring at him from her seat on the other side of the classroom, small smile on her face.

* * *

A few hours later, after Iruka's lecture had concluded, the school broke for lunch. A number of the students had brought their own _bento_, but Naruto had been so concerned with getting to school on time that morning that he'd forgotten to bring his. _'Ah well, now might be a good time to stop by that ramen shop I saw on the way over here,' _he thought as he left the Academy campus and made his way to the eatery. Seeing as a few of his classmates were in the same boat, he offered to do something he would've never done in a million years. "Hey, you guys up for some ramen? My treat."

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto was seated on one of the stools at Ichiraku, while his classmates introduced themselves over a bowl of ramen. Aside from himself, the five that had joined him were the rotund boy, who he learned was known as Choji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka and his puppy Akamaru, the Chinese-attired kunoichi Tenten, the extremely odd yet pretty cool Rock Lee, and finally the revenge-obsessed Sasuke. While Naruto liked the first four of his future teammates, Sasuke wasn't making a good first impression. First off, he was always brooding, which lead Naruto to believe that he was emo when he first met him. Secondly, he believed that he was to be his clan's "avenger," and that anyone who got in his way was a hindrance to his overall purpose in life. Then finally, he stated that since Naruto had joined mid-year, had less of a chance at becoming a ninja than anyone else there. He'd even gone as far as to refer to Naruto as _'henshu furiku' _(mutant freak)! While Naruto would've enjoyed nothing more than to throttle the spiky haired emo, he remembered Xavier-Oji-sama's lecture on human/mutant relations and calmed his temper.

_'Yep, feel's just like Westchester,'_ he sighed inwardly as he finished his meal._ 'Sasuke-teme thinks he's sooo cool just 'cause he's been here longer than I have and he has the best grades in class. Emo-jerk.'_

He was just about to leave, not wanting to spend another minute around the pompous Uchiha, when Kiba asked him something that made him stay for a while. "So I heard from my mom that your dad is supposed to be some kinda insanely awesome fighter and that he works for some special organization," he said as Akamaru lapped up his leftover broth. "Is that true?"

_'Oh, yeah, dad told me he used to date Kiba's mom back in the day.' _Naruto shuddered slightly at the thought of Logan and Tsume Inuzuka together. "Yeah, he's a member of the X-Men," Naruto returned proudly after composing himself.

"The who?" asked Sasuke, skeptically raising an eyebrow. Naruto sweat dropped slightly at his own absent-mindedness. He'd forgotten that Konohagakure wasn't that connected to the outside world enough to have heard of most of the legendary heroes he'd worked with in the past. Sure they had some technologies, but other than that, they were just about as distant as the Savage Land when it came to global happenings on. So, he took a few minutes to tell them about some of the heroes he'd grown up with, like Spider-man, Captain America, the Fantastic 4, the Avengers, and of course, the Uncanny X-Men. After he had finished, the five before him sat staring at him with slack-jawed expressions on their faces; all except Sasuke, who didn't believe a word of what Naruto had said.

_'Yeah right,'_ thought Sasuke. _'Like an annoying dobe like Naruto would be working with guys like that. He's probably making all this up.'_

"Cool," said Choji, shoving a handful of potato chips into his mouth.

"Yeah," Naruto agreed, "it is pretty awesome, sharing your life with some of earth's mightiest heroes. Especially when one of em's your dad."

"So, have you actually fought along side any of them before?" asked Tenten inquisitively.

"Of course, dad makes it a point to share all of his life with me, especially since I became a full member of the field team two years ago. Sometimes he lets me get right in on the action, and others where he has me stay on the sidelines and help with either crowd control or rescues. But, then there are times when the action comes to me..."

"Like when, Naruto-kun?" asked Lee.

"Well, take the night I'd been inducted as a full-fledged X-Man for example. We were holding a party to celebrate and everything was going pretty smoothly for a while. Sadly it didn't stay that way for long...,"

_

* * *

(Flashback)_

_"For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow... that nobody can deny!"_ sang the Academy students as they congratulated Naruto on his "promotion" to field ops.

"Aw, come on you guys, quit!" he laughed as he massaged the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Really, I don't deserve all of this."

They had all gathered in the Institute's main ballroom for the party, which was pretty extravagant to say the least. Kitty and Ororo had spent hours setting up the decorations, and they'd even hired a professional caterer to serve _real _ramen. Cyclops had also invited a number of the X-Men's old friends to the party, including Brian Braddock and his wife Meggan from Excalibur.

"Don't be so modest son," said James (i.e. Logan) as he clapped his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You've earned it 'fer all the hard work you put in to get this far."

Just as Naruto was about to agree with his dad, a sharp pinging sound reverberated through the air as Emma Frost rapped on her glass to get everyone's attention. "Thank you all for joining us on this wonderful evening, as we celebrate the promotion of Naruto Uzumaki-Howlett to the X-Men field team," the once White Queen said warmly as she smiled in his direction. "We have all stood by him in his early years of training, and have watched him grow into both a fine young man, and a capable leader, as we saw during our last field day." She raised her glass and nodded towards him. "A toast to our young comrade, may the adventures to come be more exciting with him along for the ride."

"Here, here!" shouted the guests in agreement.

However, before anyone could take a sip of their 'sparkling cider', a tall figure crashed through the skylight above the ballroom, showering a number of the students in the broken glass. As the figure hit the floor, Naruto got a better look at the party-crasher. It was a massive android with gleaming metallic skin, a large .50mm G.A. rail-gun mounted on its shoulder, and a huge laser cannon where its left forearm would've been. Brian was the first to react.

"Fury!" he roared as he clutched the amulet around his neck, using its power to transform into Captain Britain. "Why did Jaspers send you?! Leave this place at once!" He flew at the android with incredible speed, his body glowing with mystic energies.

**"Primary objective confirmed:,"** it said in a cold, synthesized tone,** "eradicate Brian Braddock and all present super-powered beings."** As it spoke, it leveled its cannon arm at Brian and cut loose with a burst of energy that struck the hero square in the chest, sending him flying into a wall. He let out a groan of pain before sinking to the floor in unconsciousness.

"Brian!!" screamed Meggan as the creature strode towards her husband. She quickly transformed her stature into that of the She-Hulk and ran at the Fury. A mean right hook sent the robotic monstrosity careening into the dessert table. As it fell against the table, the Fury attempted to fire off a round from its rail-gun at the hulking shapshifter. However, the shot went wide, spraying the room in a wide arc of depleted uranium rounds. Luckily, Julian Keller, one of Frost's Hellions, had erected a TK field over the fleeing students, shielding them from the deadly hailstorm.

"James!" Emma yelled as Cyclops herded the students out of the ballroom, rounds digging into the stone just inches above her head. "Cyclops, Bishop and I will see to the students. You, Naruto, Rachel and Sam help the Braddock's contain that thing!"

"Got it Frost," he yelled as he unsheathed his claws. _Snikt!_ As they got into position, Naruto glanced over at his father and they both exchanged equally mischievous grins. "You ready for your first _official_ field scrap son?"

"Are you kidding dad?" he replied, unsheathing the retractable claws he'd mimicked from Beast. "I was frickin' _born_ ready!"

"Alright, then lets do it!" The father and son team ran at the Fury full-throttle, with Marvel Girl and Cannonball flying close behind. As the cybiote assassin staggered to its feet, sparks flying from its damaged rail-gun, it looked up just in time to see both Naruto and Wolverine bearing down on it, their faces contorted in a gleeful battle cry. **"RRRRAAAAAWWWRRR!!!!"**

_(End Flashback)_**

* * *

**"So what happened after that, Naruto-kun?" asked Lee in anticipation.

"Me, dad, and Cannonball helped Meggan pull the Fury off of Brian so Rachel could use her powers to destroy it. Let me tell you, that was one party no one at the Institute is gonna forget anytime soon."

"How come?" Kiba probed, Akamaru barking in agreement from his perch atop his master's head.

"Well, Rachel had to use the Phoenix Force to create a black hole inside its hardware. So, when it was sucked into the hole's singularity, its destruction created a wave of energy that completely wiped out the ballroom and knocked all of us for a loop. It took weeks for us to rebuild the ballroom, and Beast had to run a complete quantum scan on the blast site to make sure the Fury was gone for good this time."

"Wow, now that sounds like it was a pretty intense fight," said Tenten.

"Yeah, it was," Naruto said, smiling as he remembered the look on Emma's face when she first saw the wrecked ballroom. Just then, the alarm on his watch sounded, snapping him out of his memories. "Oh, man! We'd better head back to the Academy; lunch break ends in fifteen." As they ran back towards the school, Naruto glanced back at his new friends. _'I guess I was wrong,'_ he thought as he ran. _'This place isn't half bad after all.'_

_

* * *

_**Well there it is, Chapter 2. Now make sure to stay tuned Agenda-X fans, 'cause the next chapter will be covering Naruto's graduation and introduction to his team. So be ready for intense battles, new surprise guests, and the revelation of Naruto's true mutant power! You won't wanna miss a second of it!**


	3. 3 Graduation, Revelation, and a new Team

**

* * *

Face front True Believers (I love sayin' that)! Sorry it took so long, but Chapter 3 is finally up and running. Now hold onto your hats folk, 'cause Naruto is about to reveil something that no one in Konohagakure has ever seen before: the existance of the mutant populace. What is his true mutant power? How will this affect his future as a shinobi? All these questions and more shall be answered, so read on gang, read on!

* * *

**

Chapter 3: Graduation, Revelation, and a new Team 7.

9 months after Naruto's first day of school, the time had finally come for him and his classmates to graduate from the Ninja Academy. During this span of time, Naruto had learned that the girl who had been staring at him on his first day was named Hinata Hyuuga, and that she was indeed listed in Xavier's files. He had been able to talk with her a few times and, despite her constant shyness, the two quickly became good friends. He'd often run errands for Sarutobi by the Hyuuga mansion and made it a point to say "hi" to Hinata before he left. Since this morning was the graduation exams however, Naruto was completely focused on his goal and set about his morning exercise. This consisted of a 5 mile lap around the Namikaze Estate and a quick, yet grueling sparring session in his gym's virtual reality (VR) chamber, which acted similar to the Danger Room back in Westchester. After he'd finished, taken a quick shower, and eaten breakfast, he was off and running to the Academy.

The main test of final exam was over the student's mastery of two basic shinobi skills, the _Bushinn-no-Jutsu_ and the_ Henge-no-Jutsu._ As soon as he got to school, the test began. After a number of students had gone, it was finally his turn. Sasuke had just finished his turn, creating a perfect 4-man squadron of Irukas that each brandished a unique shinobi weapon. He smirked haughtily as he passed Naruto on his way back to his seat._ 'Humph, let's see the dobe top __**that**_ he thought smugly.

"Piece of cake," said Naruto as he got up and made his way to the front, glaring at Sasuke all the while. Naruto managed to pull off the jutsu, but just barely. All but two of his clones were passable; the two that weren't looked worse for wear. As soon as the clones dispelled, Naruto went back to his seat and Iruka wrote down his final score: 85 percent. Naruto had barely managed to pass the exam, but still the blonde gratefully accepted his _Hitai-ate._ Naruto fastened it to his forehead and turned to give the class a thumbs-up, coupled with his now trademark fox-like grin. _'So, the dobe made it after all,' _thought Sasuke._ 'Big deal.'_

Later that day, as the school day came to a close, the students rushed outside to their waiting parents, who congratulated them on their graduation to Genin. Even though he'd gotten congratulated by a majority of his teachers and classmates, Naruto still felt a bit of nostalgia for his "family" back in Westchester. _'Man, its cool that I graduated and all; but, I just wish dad could'a been here,'_ he thought as he sat on the swing, watching everyone file off. Just then, he noticed Mizuki, one of the Chunin-level instructors, approach him from the crowd. "Naruto-kun," said Mizuki nonchalantly. "Happy to finally be a ninja, eh?"

"Yeah, it's pretty sweet," he replied.

"Well then, how'd you like to go a mission for me? There's a certain scroll in the Hokage Library that I'm supposed to acquire for a friend."

"Really?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow. "And exactly what scroll are we talkin' about here?"

"I'm glad you asked Naruto. _Its actually the Yondaime Hokage's Forbidden Scroll_."

_'The nerve of this creep!'_ Naruto thought, trying to restrain his anger. _'That scroll belongs to my __**real**__ dad! To the Namikaze Clan! Why I ought'a..."_

_**'Hold up Kit,'**_ Kyuubi said, attempting to calm him down. _**'Chill out for a sec. Remember what Iceman always says, "Revenge is a dish best served **__**cold.**__**" Or, in his case, **__**ice cold.'**_

_'Yeah, you got a point Kyuubi. I'll show this bastard what happens when you cross my family, and he won't even see it comin', you can count on it!'_

Naruto 'accepted' the mission promptly, then, when he was sure Mizuki had left, when to inform Sarutobi of what he had learned. Needless to say, Sarutobi was just as displeased as Naruto had been by Mizuki's treachery. They then made their own plans for how to deal with the situation. Since Xavier had announced Naruto's transition back to the village, Sarutobi had moved all of Minato's affects back into the Namikaze Estate including the Forbidden Scroll, which now rested in Naruto's library. The both of them agreed for Naruto to go ahead with the staged theft of the scroll, and Naruto also planned a little surprise for the traitor.

Later that night, Naruto appeared in the clearing with the Fourth's scroll mounted on his backpack. He had decided to wear his Xavier's Security Enforcers uniform for the occasion, seeing as after tonight, everyone in the village would've heard of the uncanny X-Men. The uniform consisted of a dark red bodysuit with two yellow lines traveling from his left side down his leg, extending from under a yellow 'X' over his heart. He also wore a red and black leather jacket with a flame-design on the cuffs (he'd sewn a _hitai-ate _to the right arm), fingerless gloves, combat boots, and a yellow belt. On his face, he wore a red visor.

Once he was sure the coast was clear, he sat down beneath a nearby tree, unfurled the scroll and started reading. From far off, one would only assume he was reading jutsu instructions, which was the scene that Iruka came upon when he showed up a few minutes later. "Heh, looks like you found the spot after all Iruka-sensei," Naruto said as he got to his feet, propping up the scroll. "I was startin' to get worried you wouldn't find me."

"Sorry I'm late Naruto," Iruka said apologetically. "I took a less frequented path, in order to keep this quiet, like you asked. I must say, you've really thought this through. Mizuki won't even get to lay a finger on the Fourth's scroll."

Suddenly, a hail of kunai shot out of the forest, pinning Iruka to a nearby tree. Naruto barely flinched; he'd smelled Mizuki coming from a mile away. The only reason he didn't alert Iruka, was because he wanted to give the traitor a false sense of security. Mizuki stood up on the tree branch he'd perched on a couple yards from them, grinning evilly all the while. "Oh, really Iruka?" he preened. "And what makes you think that the two of you simpletons could stop me, eh?"

"That's really simple Mizuki-sensei," Naruto said. "Did you honestly think I'd be so stupid as to steal such a rare artifact _on the day I graduate?!_ I may be laidback, but even _I_ know something's stupid when I hear it. That was seriously bad judgment on your part."

At this, Mizuki broke into a fit of maniacal laughter, after which he sneered smugly at Naruto, who though rightly confused by this action, had somewhat of an idea of where he would be going with all this. "Now, why would _you_ be so loyal to a village that hates you simply for living, huh? Just hand over the damn scroll and spare yourself the trauma!"

Iruka's eyes widened at what Mizuki was saying. He knew what would come next. _'Have to get Naruto away from here!'_ he thought as he strained against the knives that held him. It was no use, they were in deep. "Naruto run! Take the scroll and get out of here! I'll keep Mizuki occupied while you get away!"

"Oh, come off it Iruka you fool. We both know you hate him too."

"Get bent Mizuki," Naruto rebutted. "There's no way Iruka-sensei would be like that. Sure, you would, but not him, it's just impossible. Especially since he's one of the few people that have actually nice to me since I got here, whereas the rest of the fricking village treats me like crap!!"

"And do you know _why_ the 'rest of the fricking village' treats you as such?"

"NO MIZUKI, DON'T SAY IT! IT'S FORBIDDEN!!!"

"THERE'S NOTHING _YOU_ CAN DO ABOUT IT IRUKA! THE REASON EVERYONE HATES YOU IS BECAUSE THE KYUUBI LIVES WITHIN YOU, NARUTO!! YOU ARE KYUUBI-NO-KITSUNE!"

"OH, NOW THERE'S A SHOCKER! YOU'RE A LITTLE LATE ON THAT ONE PAL! I'VE ONLY KNOWN THE GUY FOR WHAT, SIX YEARS NOW?!?!" Naruto rebutted. "And can we quit with all the yelling now? I actually wanna hear when I'm thirty."

At this, both instructors' jaws dropped considerably. _'He, He... knew?!'_ Mizuki thought in astonishment. After a moment, he managed off his surprise, regaining his undaunted composure. "Well, it still doesn't make any difference," he said, grasping the large _fuma-shuriken _on his back, "because I'll still be taking that scroll. It's not like it _belongs _to you anyway, Naruto."

"Actually, that'd be where you're _dead_ wrong, Mizuki-teme," Naruto said darkly, narrowing his eyes at the traitor. As he spoke, the air around him began to ripple and twist as heat rose from his body. "See, if you'd actually done your homework, you'd have found that the recent DNA evidence that Xavier-Oji-sama sent to Sandaime proves that I _am_ the son of Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage. Therefore, the scroll is rightfully mine. But, you chose _not _to look into it and automatically assume what you just did. Congratulations numb nuts, all you've done is succeeded in insulting my family and getting me _very mad._ Now you get to be one of the first to see why my codename in the X-Men, is Foxfire!"

Both Iruka and Mizuki barely saw Naruto move- his arms flew out in a wide arch, the throwing motion almost invisible, like a sudden breeze stirring up fallen leaves and dust across the open clearing. _'I don't know what he just did,'_ Mizuki thought haughtily, _'but it won't do him any good.' _It was then that he saw the blades.

Ten of them flew at him silently through the darkness, each about 6 inches long. But these knives weren't solid or made of steel like a kunai; they were made of something different, almost like chakra. They were the color of molten lava, and as they drew closer, Mizuki could feel an intense heat coming from them. He dove to the side in an attempt to avoid the strange projectiles. However, two found their mark, slicing clean through his left bicep and thigh. He howled in pain as he landed on a nearby tree branch, clutching his damaged arm. Looking up to glare wrathfully at Naruto, he saw that the blonde had more 'knives' at the ready,

_... And they were growing out of his fingertips._

"I call them _Tsume-no-Kitsune _(Claws of the Fox)," the blonde said as he brought the claws to face-level, glaring at Mizuki. The blades self-sustained luminescence cast an eerie glow on Naruto's visage, making him appear all the more frightening. "They're made of pure plasma energy, each one as hot as the sun's surface. Now, normally, I'd use these to split you in half with one swipe and leave it at that, but not this time. No, I want answers. I _know _someone hired you to secure this scroll, just as you hired me. The only reason I didn't kill you outright was because doing so would've kept your employer's identity a secret. Now either you tell me who hired you, or I _force_ it outta you!"

"You're welcome to come and try, Fox-brat!!" Mizuki roared. He clasped the _fuma-shuriken_ once more and swung it at Iruka with all his might. "You can't both fight me, _and_ defend your precious sensei at the same time!"

As the bladed projectile flew at him with incredible speed, Iruka's eyes widened in realization of the fact that he wouldn't be able to dodge it! He was going to die. Iruka strained against the kunai once again in desperation, but to no avail. Just as he was sure the shuriken would slice him to pieces, he heard hissing sound, almost like molten steel that had just been doused in ice water. He looked up to see Naruto standing over him with his arms crossed in front of his chest, palms facing out. His claws had formed a sort of shield, which had caught the shuriken; the intense heat was beginning to liquefy the metal, steam rising from its melting form. Iruka saw Naruto wince slightly and noticed that one of the shuriken's edges had dug into his palm. It was in really deep.

"Naruto," he managed to say, "why?"

"Because, you're my friend Iruka-sensei," the young X-Man said, turning to smile weakly at him. "Even though Kyuubi killed your parents, you still managed to find it in yourself to overlook that and help me out when I needed it, even knowing that thing lives inside me."

"Aw, what a touching speech," chortled Mizuki as he got to his feet. "I think I'm going to cry. If you're really this touchy-feely, then killing you will be a walk in the park."

Naruto angrily tossed the melting shuriken aside and made an odd seal with his still clawed hands. "Take your best shot, jackass. I'll give it back to you a thousand fold! And this time I won't be going easy on you!!" As the injured traitor charged at him, a kunai spinning in either hand, Naruto shut his eyes in intense focus and summoned every bit of his own chakra he could muster. _'Can't hold back like I did during the test! I've __**got**__ to give this one 110 percent! __**No matter what!'**_

"KAGE-BUSHINN NO JUTSU!!!" With a sudden _bamf _of smoke, an army of Naruto's appeared around the three, each one bearing the same claws that the original had. It was all Mizuki could do to keep from going slack jawed at the sight. Iruka saw all this, and took it in with a mixed sense of pride and sincere amazement. _'Those aren't regular illusions,'_ he thought in astonishment_, 'they're solid clones! He's managed to master a Jounin-level technique! Truly remarkable.'_

**"Hey Mizuki-teme!"** the clones yelled in unison. Mizuki looked around in confusion and panic, not knowing which one to attack. **"This just goes to show you, why everyone in the Academy called me Konoha's #1 Maverick Ninja. You never know what I'm gonna pull next; believe it!" **On that note, each of the clones leveled their hands at the traitor, firing their claws at him all at once. The hailstorm of plasma was on him in seconds, slicing him on nearly every part of his body. When it was over, the clones leapt from the trees and descended on him with a series on pulverizing kicks and punches that sent him reeling with each blow. Just as he was about to fight back, the real Naruto appeared in front of him and slashed at him vertically with his claws, adding a renewed strength to the pungent scent of burning flesh that already filled the air. Another, more powerful slash sent him flying backwards against a tree. Naruto fingered a pair of his claws like kunai and used them to pin Mizuki to the tree. _'Man, payback's Hell,'_ Mizuki thought ironically as he glanced at Iruka.

Satisfied that Mizuki was through, Naruto willed the clones to dispel and 'retracted' his claws. _**'Nice job on the Kage-Bushinn Kit,'**_ commented Kyuubi as Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. _**'Even I had my doubts about that one.'**_

_'Gee, thanks Kyuubi,'_ Naruto thought sarcastically. _'Now, what do you say we have a talk with our Black Cat wannabe over there? _He strode towards the traitor, stooping down to face-level. Just then, he noticed an odd, green mark on Mizuki's arm where of his 'knives' had sliced him. Without a word, he ripped away the badly shredded fabric to reveal a frighteningly familiar tattoo, stained with blood: a circle with a grinning green skull in the center, tentacles coiling out from under its chin.

"So you're one of Strucker's Green-Shirts, eh, Mizuki-teme?" Naruto snarled, grabbing Mizuki by his collar so they were face-to-face.

"Heh, heh, heh," Mizuki wheezed, blood trickling from his mouth, "you aren't as dumb as you look, _hanyou _(half-demon)."

"Save it for the guys at S.H.I.E.L.D., you damn traitor. Now, why did he send you? Why's my father's scroll interest him so much?"

"Heh, like you'll ever find out, hanyou," Mizuki spat before tilting his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed something. Seconds later, sickly green foam began to spill from his mouth. "I'll see you in Hell, Naruto. Hail HYDRA! Immortal HYDRA! We shall never be destroyed! Cut off a limb, two more shall take..." Then, he fell silent, the suicide pill having finally ended his pathetic existence.

_'It's kinda ironic. Taking his Baron's secrets to his well-deserved grave,'_ Naruto thought as he left the body drop and stood to retrieve his sensei. He turned to gaze one last time at the twisted smirk on Mizuki's face. _'If only he'd shown such loyalty to our village. The fool.' _After plucking Iruka off the tree, they picked up the Fourth's scroll and walked back to the village, leaving Mizuki's burnt and bloodied body behind. Naruto knew that a recon team from the local S.H.I.E.L.D. Outpost pick it up, or an ANBU Squad would find it after noticing that Mizuki _never_ returned home. After they had shared a few bowls of ramen at Ichiraku, courtesy of Teuchi, the bar's owner, Naruto and Iruka said goodnight and parted ways. Naruto suppressed a yawn as he headed home for a good night sleep, knowing that tomorrow was going to be a heck of a long day.

* * *

The following morning, after completing his morning schedule per usual, Naruto headed off to school. He wore his civvies again, which consisted of a Day-Glo orange jacket, a pair of orange cargos, his regular _hitai-ate, _his crimson Sage-issued cyber-visor, and a pair of standard issue sandals. Today was the day they would both be assigned a squad and meet with their Jounin instructors. He arrived at the Academy around 9:05am, prior to taking his usual route over the rooftops of the village. Upon entering his classroom, he was warmly greeted by Iruka and promptly took his seat, and switched his iPod to _Everyday Superhero_ by Smash Mouth. Moments later, Uchiha Sasuke entered the room and took his seat in front of Naruto. He glanced back at Naruto for a moment, and then did a bit of a double take. Naruto had his feet propped up on his desk, spinning one of his plasma knives between two of his fingers. The energy blade became a neon orange blur as it traced a lazy figure 8 around his digits. 

_'What the hell is __**that?**_' he wondered in amazement._ 'More over, how is that __**dobe**__ doing that?'_ It was then that he remembered Naruto's stories about the X-Men and mutant heroes from America. So, he was telling the truth, and _this _was his particular mutant power. By then, a number of the other students had taken notice of the spectacle and began to stare at Naruto in a similar fashion. Sensing their gaze, Naruto looked up at them and paused his music. "What?" he asked, halting the rotation of the knife and willing it to dissipate.

Before anyone could say anything else, there was a huge commotion over by the classroom door. Naruto and Sasuke both turned to see what was going on. Apparently, Sakura and Ino Yamanaka had been trying to see who could get to class first and sit next to Sasuke, and had become stuck in the doorframe. They were both shoving and shouting at each other while trying to be the first one in. "MOVE IT FOREHEAD GIRL!!" Ino yelled at Sakura in annoyance.

"OUTTA THE WAY INO-PIG!!!" was Sakura's response. Finally, Sakura managed to disentangle herself from the blonde girl and rushed to Sasuke, claiming her seat faithfully by his side. "Hey Sasuke-kun! What's going on?" She smiled, running her fingers through her bright pink hair.

"Oh, hi Sasuke-kun!" Ino interrupted as she sat down on the side opposite Sakura. "I didn't know you were sitting here." She looked over his shoulder and stuck her tongue out at Sakura, who responded with a death-glare that could've dropped an elephant. Sasuke sighed and reclined back into his chair. _'Ugh, fan girls. Why the hell is my life such a damn circus?'_ Once everyone had calmed down, Iruka began his announcement of the graduates' new squads. Naruto was slightly disappointed to hear that he wouldn't be on the same team as most of his friends he'd known were in the Agenda-X files. Then, Iruka came to his team. "Squad 7: Uzumak-Howlett Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke."

No sooner had those words left his lips that an audible thumping sound reached his ears. He looked up from his clipboard, only to witness Naruto repeatedly beating his head against his desk, a frustrated look adorning his face. _'Ugh, why?' _Naruto thought in annoyance. _'Why do I gotta be on the same team as the Alpha-Emo himself? I ask you, why?'_

_**'Hey, don't look at me,'**_ Kyuubi replied, a hint of amusement in his voice, _**'I just live here.'**_

"Is something the matter Naruto?" Iruka asked, raising an eyebrow at the blonde's behavior.

"Um, hell yeah!" Naruto replied, slamming his hands on his desk as he stood up. "Why do I have ta be on the same team as Sasuke? He frickin' hates me, and in all honesty, the feeling's mutual."

"Ugh, I'm sorry Naruto," Iruka said in annoyance, "we simply had no where else to place you. You'll just have to grin and bear it." Could this be the same Naruto that had single-handedly defeated a Chunin-level ninja the night before? Naruto responded by sighing audibly, sinking back into his seat as he regretfully resigned to his fate. Oh well, at least Sakura-chan was on his team too. Sure she had a huge crush on Sasuke, but she'd probably make for better company. Just then, Iruka announced their lunch break. "Okay everyone. Time to break for lunch. Meet back here later so your Jounin senseis can pick you up."

"Well, if that's it, I'll see you guys later," Naruto said to his new teammates.

"Whatever, dobe," Sasuke responded coldly.

Naruto stopped just as he was getting ready to leave. "You know what? I'm sick and tired of you calling me that Emo-Boy!" he growled as whirled around to stare Sasuke in the face. "You call me that one more time and you'll wish you were 6ft under!"

"Yeah right. Like you'd even try it... _dobe_." Sasuke had put an emphasis on the nickname on purpose, simply to spite Naruto.

"That's it! You asked for it!" Naruto brought his hands to his sides, the air around his fingers snapping in protest as he converted its nitrogen particles into his high energy plasma claws; at the same time, Sasuke fingered his shuriken holster, ready to pull out a kunai at any moment. Just as Naruto was about to jump Sasuke, one of the other students bumped into him from behind, sending him barreling into Sasuke head first. His and Sasuke's lips met in an embarrassing and greatly disturbing 'kiss,' which sent Sakura and Ino, as well as the other fan girls in the classroom into a panicked frenzy.

"NARUTO!! GET YOUR LIPS OFF OF SASUKE-KUN, BAKA!!" Sakura screamed, a huge vein appearing on her forehead. _'AAAAAHHHH!!!' _shrieked Inner-Sakura in pure terror.

"YEAH, GET OFF OF MY MAN, YOU FREAK!!" shouted Ino.

Naruto was more than happy to comply with her request, leaping back onto his desk and scrapping his lips and tongue with his claws frantically. _'Never be clean, never be clean, never be clean!" _he thought in disgust. Sasuke, at the same time, fell to the floor with a hand cupped over his mouth to keep down the bile that rose in this throat. "I'm gonna kill you... Naruto!"

However, before he could say another word, Naruto vanished in a black cloud of smoke. The lingering smell of brimstone caused the Uchiha to wrinkle his nose in disgust, as the taste of sulfur in the air made him gag and gasp for breath, not helping his nausea at all. After his coughing spell and nausea subsided, he looked out the window to see Naruto reappear on a tree branch a few yards away from the building. Sasuke glared angrily at the blonde as he smirked at him and gave him the finger before teleporting away again. _'Naruto,'_ Sasuke thought in annoyance as the rest of the class left.

A few hours later, after Naruto and his friends had met up at Ichiraku's for lunch, most of the teams that had met back at the Academy had already been picked up. However, Squad 7's sensei was phenomenally late; they had been waiting there for two hours! By that time, Naruto had gotten fed up with waiting and decided to set up a little surprise for their Jounin sensei. Pulling out a length of tetsugen (ninja wire), a water balloon, and a vial of grey liquid, he began laying his trap. The final result was balloon tied to a wire that would burst open on the Jounin's head once his foot tugged the tripwire, spilling its contents all over his face. Sasuke was a bit irked by the whole scenario, remembering the face full of smoke he'd gotten earlier. "Yo dobe, what the hell is that supposed to be?"

"Just a little something to remind our sensei to show up on time," Naruto responded. Sakura signed at the blonde's actions. However, Inner-Sakura was a completely different matter. _'Oh, man! I love stuff like this!'_

"Gimme a break, the guy's a Jounin," Sasuke reasoned. "He wouldn't fall for something so stupid like that."

"Really now? I did the same thing to Beast last year in Biology. It worked like a charm then."

Just then, as if on cue, their silver-haired Jounin opened the door with a hentai novel in his hands, triggering the makeshift pendulum's swing. The water balloon burst against the side of his head, the grey liquid coating his face. As soon as it made contact with the air, it hardened into a sticky substance that suctioned onto his face, temporarily blinding him. Before he could even reach up to pull at whatever was on his face, he felt his legs get kicked out from under him, slamming him to the floor. In seconds, his book and shuriken holster were stripped from him as his hands were secured behind his back. Suddenly, the substance on his face was burnt away, and he was staring at a grinning Naruto. "See teme?" he beamed at a surprised Sasuke. "I told you it would work."

"Umm, could you let me up?" Kakashi said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I'd like to not have to hurt you."

"Sorry about that," Naruto said as he helped Kakashi to his feet and returned his novel and holster. "But, you can expect more of that if you're gonna be late like that again."

"BAKA!!!" yelled Sakura as she swung at Naruto with a mean right hook. The blonde barely managed to get out of the way in time, sliding under her punch using a _Pencak Silat _feign that his father had taught him. As he did so, Kakashi took note this action silently. Apparently, Naruto was one to keep an eye on, same as Sasuke. He knew that Sandaime had told him that Naruto wanted no special treatment from anyone, especially Kakashi, since he had a bit of a history with his father, James Howlett. In many ways, the boy was almost a mirror image of the Wolverine he'd been partners with during the last Great Shinobi War.

While Kakashi was remembering his past with Naruto's father and Sakura was trying in vain to hit Naruto, Sasuke was examining the burnt pieces of whatever had been stuck to the Jounin's face. It was sticky to the touch and seemed to have incredible tensile strength; his kunai had barely been able to slice into it, and even then it had gotten stuck. "Hey dobe," he finally asked, "what the heck is this crap?"

"That would be grade-A spider silk," Naruto replied with a grin as he folded his hands behind his head; at this point, Sakura had given up on trying to pummel him. "A few months after I'd officially joined the X-Men's field ops, some friends and I were hanging out at a mall in New York City. Unfortunately, it was also the same mall that Scorpion, Rhino, and the Jester had decided to hold up that day too. We managed to hold 'em off until Spider-Man showed up, after which we both took those three clowns down no problem. Afterwards, Spidey agreed to lend me the formula for his webbing fluid. I only brought enough chemicals with me for a small batch though, and that was it."

"Hmp," was the Uchiha's only response.

"Well," Kakashi said at last, drawing their attention back to him. "My first impression of this group... you're a bunch of idiots. Okay, follow me to the roof. Let's chat." At that, Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke. Naruto considered teleporting at first, but thought better of it and took the stairs with the rest of his team, not wanting to flaunt his mimicry. Minutes later, they all arrived on the roof and took a seat in front of the silver-haired Jounin, who was thumbing through his 'Icha-Icha Paradise' novel like it was his one and only life-line. Upon noticing their arrival, he sighed audibly and shut his book. "Okay, now that we're all here, let's introduce ourselves."

"Um... sensei?" began Sakura. "Could you give us an example of how it would go?"

_'Ugh, these kids today are completely clueless,'_ he thought. "Alright then, I guess it couldn't hurt. My name is Hatake Kakashi. My likes and dislikes are honestly none of your concern, and my dreams are not appropriate for me to mention to you kids. Okay, you go next, pinky."

_'Well, that was useless. All we learned was his frickin' name,' _thought Inner-Sakura in annoyance. "Well, my Name is Haruno Sakura, my likes are... (She glanced at Sasuke and giggled) my dreams are... (She glanced at him again and blushed a little)."

"And your dislikes, Sakura?" Kakashi asked. Her response was, "NARUTO! Oh, and Ino-pig!"

"Those are some strong words Sakura," Kakashi replied. "Okay, you next." He gestured towards Sasuke.

Sasuke, who had been quietly staring into space until now, peered over his interlocked fingers to stare at Kakashi with his piercing, red eyes. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke," he began. "I don't have many likes to speak of. I dislike many things. As for my dreams... I'm going to restore my clan, and take my revenge on a certain someone, who it has been my ambition to destroy for many years now." Although Kakashi was a bit concerned with the young Uchiha's obsession with vengeance, as it could become a hindrance psychologically as well as in combat, he was satisfied for now and turned to Naruto and had him do the same.

"My name's Uzumaki-Howlett Naruto," the blonde said enthusiastically. "My likes are ramen, motorcycles, American music, drawing, video-games, the martial arts, going on missions, and gettin' into a good scrap every now and then. My dislikes are mutant-haters, people who think they're all that, fighting people who monologue a lot, and the fact that there is no such thing real 'instant' ramen. As for my dreams, I'm going to be the next Hokage some day, establishing the Land of Fire as an ally with the U.S., and starting up my own branch of the X-Men here in Konohagakure."

_'Hmm. Considering what both Iruka and Sandaime-sama told me,'_ Kakashi thought,_ 'Naruto was a member of the X-Men's field team when he was eleven, so he's seen his share of battles in the past two years. This ought to be very interesting.'_ He got to his feet and looked the kids over for a moment. "Okay, now that the formalities are out of the way, I'd like you all to meet me at the training grounds tomorrow morning for a mandatory skill test."

"But, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said in confusion, "we already went through that for the Genin Exams!"

"Yes, well, this is somewhat of a survival test, just to see if you can stand up to a Jounin in _actual_ combat." The silver-haired Jounin turned to leave, and then turned to smirk at them from beneath his mask. "Oh, one more thing: _don't_ eat any breakfast before doing this. Anyhow, see you tomorrow." Kakashi left them with that thought as he teleported away and they went their separate ways. Somehow they all had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a step-up from what they were used to. They'd have to bring their "A" game if they wanted to have a chance at whatever Kakashi had planned for them.

* * *

**Wow! Now how was that for a surprise? Don't think its over just yet, 'cause the infamous Bell Test is up next! How will our new Genin fare? Will Naruto's mutant powers give them an edge? Stay tuned to find out, and remember to R&R :)!**


	4. 4 For Whom the Bells Toll

**Welcome back True Believers! Sorry it took so long, but after many edits and a _lot_ of research, our young heroes are ready to face the infamous Bell Test. How will they fare with our resident X-Man Naruto on their side? Read on to find out.

* * *

**

Chapter 4: For Whom the Bells Toll.

**  
**The morning following their meeting with Kakashi, Naruto awoke early that morning and set out without his usual breakfast, according to Kakashi's explicit instruction. Though it went against his better judgment, he figured that it was better to follow the Jounin's advice. He arrived at the appointed spot on time, dressed in his usual orange civilian attire. However, this time he including his steel-toed combat boots, fingerless gloves, and cyber visor as he had yesterday. As soon as he got there, he saw Sasuke and Sakura sprawled out beneath a shady tree, both their stomach's growling loud enough for him to hear from just a few yards away. Although they appeared to have gotten plenty of sleep, they were wide awake from hunger.

After greeting each other wearily, Naruto produced a sketchpad and pencil from one of the inner pockets of his jacket and began to sketch out the landscape, to help take his mind off his intense hunger. Naruto had picked up an interest in art from his 'uncle' Piotr (Colossus). He often sketched when he felt a sense of calm, like he wanted to preserve that feeling of peace. Being associated with the X-Men, he'd seen more than his fair share of prejudice against mutants, so he took what little peace of mind he could find. Now, as he sketched, he paid particular attention to the detail of an onyx, diamond-shaped monument parallel to a trio of stumps that looked as though they'd seen a lot of _shurikenjutsu _practice.

As the hours seemed to crawl by, neither of the trio muttered a word synonymous with hunger, though their stomachs spoke for them. After a while, Naruto finished his artwork and began cycling through his iPod's music library to pass the time. More than once Sakura became interested in his music and he politely gave her an earphone. Naruto did like Sakura a lot, but he knew she was completely obsessed about Sasuke, and though _he_ was annoying; still, she was a nice person. Finally, their sensei came strolling up after nearly _three_ hours. Sakura immediately leapt to her feet and pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi, uprooting Naruto by the ear at the same time, as they were both listening to Candy Dulfer's _Finsbury Park Cafe 67._ "YOU'RE LATE!!" she yelled in frustration.

"Sorry, I... got lost on the road of life," Kakashi replied with an amused grin beneath his mask. The sight of Sakura nearly ripping off Naruto's ear was a bit comical. "Anyhow, now that you're all here, the test can begin. I can assume that you all followed my instructions and skipped breakfast?" As if to answer for him, all three of the Genin's stomachs growled loudly.

_'Well, that stint of deception was a success,' _Kakashi thought as he removed his backpack and removed an alarm clock. "Okay, this clock is set for noon. Your assignment is simple: you just have to steal these bells from me." He reached behind his back and produced a pair of silver jingle-bells, both joined by a length of string. "That's all there is to it. If you can't get 'em within the allotted time, you go without lunch. You'll also be tied to those posts and watch me _eat_ the bells themselves in front of you."

_'So that's why he didn't want us to eat,'_ Sasuke realized.

_'Ugh! That's... really gross!'_ Sakura thought, shivers of disgust running along the length of her spine.

"Feel free to use any weapons you like, including shuriken. If you aren't prepared to kill me, then you won't be able to get the bells. And the test begins... Now." Kakashi immediately teleported away and reappeared in the clearing. He immediately began thumbing through his 'Icha-Icha Paradise' novel and started reading as soon as he found his spot.

_'Okay,'_ Naruto thought when the Jounin reappeared. _'Dad threw something almost like this at us at the last Field Day. We can do this as long as we stick-' _It was then thathe looked over his shoulder to see his 'teammates' splinter off in two directions. _'... Together. Man, so much for teamwork.' _Still, Naruto flickered away and reappeared behind a thicket of shrubs; he knew beforehand that he'd have a better chance at catching Kakashi off-guard if he had some cover. After he'd hidden, he shut his eyes in concentration and slammed his fist against his opposing palm. Like all of his clothes, the ones he wore had been treated with Reed Richards' Unstable Molocules, and were programmed to change his civilian attire into his X.S.E uniform upon mental command. Once his suit had changed, he made his move.

Claws at the ready, Naruto ran silently along the length of the thicket low to the ground, firing off his claws at Kakashi as he went. He personally favored hand-to-hand combat, but he knew that wouldn't get him anywhere against the silver-haired Jounin. He watched as the plasma claws shot towards Kakashi with near blinding speed, and was a bit surprised when the Jounin began to bob and weave around them, never once taking his eyes off his novel. _'Damn,'_ Naruto mentally cursed in aggravation. _'Oh well, I always did favor the 'direct approach.' Time for a little martial arts action.'_ He performed a quick Kage Bushinn no Jutsu, then leapt from the brush with his clones, claws out and sprinting towards Kakashi low to the ground.

_'Hmm, looks like the rumors were true after all,'_ Kakashi thought, looking coolly over the pages of his book at the incoming clones. _'He might actually prove to be bit of a challenge, just like Sasuke should.'_ He nimbly sidestepped a slash from the first clone that attacked, and then dropped into a low stance to sweep-kick its legs out from under it. The clone slammed face first into the dirt and dispelled in a puff of smoke. Not wasting a single movement, the Copy-nin rose from his low crouch and nailed another clone that had aimed a kick at his head with a punishing uppercut. That clone was sent flying backwards.

"Your skills are quite impressive, Naruto; but you won't pass at this rate," the Jounin goaded as the clone dispelled several feet away from him, "leading with your _chin_ like that."

"Don't count me out yet," Naruto rebutted, vaulting off one of the clones' backs as they charged Kakashi. "I'm just gettin' started!" He leveled his hands at Kakashi in midair and fired off two sets of claws at him, one after the other. At the same time, the three remaining clones closed in on the Copy-nin in a 'pincer-formation', slashing at him from the front, the left, and the right almost simultaneously. Kakashi quickly leapt back to dodge the energy claws, then grabbed the clone to his right with an arm lock. He then heaved the clone over his shoulder with all his might and sent it hurtling into the other two, which in turn caused all three to dispel.

Kakashi had expected Naruto to be unsettled by the quick destruction of his clones. However, Naruto ran at him full force as soon as he hit the ground, swiping at the Jounin's face with his claws. Kakashi barely managed to move out of the way, the blades raking the air inches from his mask. Recovering quickly, he ducked under one of Naruto's kicks and caught him by his unbalanced leg, flipping the blonde to the ground. However, as he hit, Naruto switched his fighting style to Brazilian _capoeria _and whipped his legs in a pinwheel motion over his body, pushing off with his hands at the same time. He then brought his feet together to kick at Kakashi with twice the force of a normal blow. But, instead of Kakashi, he connected only with empty space. Naruto landed in a crouch and quickly scanned the area for the Copy-nin.

_'Where is he?!'_ Naruto wondered. _'That kick should've flattened him. How did he dodge it?!'_ Just then he felt a strong rush of chakra behind him. "Oh, crap."

"Too slow," Kakashi remarked from his position behind the blonde. From her hiding spot in the brushes, Sakura had a clear view of their sensei and saw him bring his hands together to create what looked like... _'Is that the tiger seal?' _she thought frantically. _'He's not kidding around, he's going to destroy Naruto!' _Panicking, she rose from her hiding spot and screamed a warning at her teammate. "Naruto! Get out of there, he's gonna demolish you!"

Kakashi, ignoring her cries, continued his lecture. "Never let your enemy get behind you," he criticized. He then shifted in his crouch and rose up to attack. "Konohagakure's Ultimate Secret Taijutsu!" Suddenly, Naruto felt an extremely unpleasant sensation centered on his ass, and then was forcefully catapulted into the air. "Sennen Goroshi (One Thousand Years of Pain)!" Kakashi finished as Naruto splashed down into a nearby stream. When the blonde didn't resurface, he went over to the stream and scanned the waters for his young charge.

_'Hmm. He must've let the current carry him downstream into the forest so he could regroup and come up with a new plan,'_ the Jounin thought as his eyes flowed the stream. He then turned his attention back to his book. _'Oh well. Now, where was I?'_

* * *

A few yards away from where Kakashi was reading and Sakura was frantically looking for a new place to hide, seeing as her warning had tipped off her location, Naruto hauled himself out of stream and slumped against a nearby tree. "Okay, he anticipated every one of my moves; I can respect that. But that was _really_ uncalled for," he thought aloud as he rummaged around in his jacket. "Ah hell, it was worth it. He never noticed what I was really aiming for with that last swipe." As he spoke, Naruto produced one of the bells from his pocket; he'd managed to slice it free from Kakashi's jacket on his last attack. It jingled as he shook with glee. Reorienting his thoughts, he looked around the trunk of the tree to ensure he wasn't being watched.

_'Okay, now I just need to find Sakura or Sasuke and convince them that we should take 'em together. Hmmp. Let's see how high-and mighty Sasuke-teme is when I show up with a bell and he's got jack.' _Suddenly, Naruto saw something out of the corner of his eye. Looking down at his hand, he saw that the bell he'd stolen had been replaced by a walnut haloed by smoke. "What?!" he yelled in surprise, sending a flock of nearby birds airborne. "He used _kawarimi _on the bell I swiped!" He then noticed a piece of notebook paper had been stuck to the nut. It read:

_Naruto,_

_Nice try, but no dice. A ninja must learn to see what's underneath the underneath. You're talented, that I'll admit, but you still need practice. Oh, and watch your footing._

_- Hatake Kakashi._

"What does he mean, 'watch my foo-WAAAH!" Naruto managed to say before getting swept up off his feet and yanked high into the air. In all his excitement, he'd gotten his foot caught in a snare that had obviously been pre-set by Kakashi. _'He must've come here last night and rigged this entire forest with booby traps, knowing one of us would trip one,'_ he realized as he swung back and forth by his ankle, staring at the ground. "Why the hell couldn't I see this thing?" he muttered in annoyance. "I'm so stupid."

* * *

Elsewhere in the forest, while Naruto was busy disentangling his ankle from Kakashi's snare, Sakura was frantically searching for Sasuke, whom she'd lost track of at the start of the test. She ran as fast and as silent as she could, keeping her guard up in case she was ambushed by Kakashi. _'Sasuke, where'd you go?' _she wondered as she sprinted along the forest floor. _'Don't tell me Kakashi-sensei found you… No! He can't capture my Sasuke-kun, I won't let him!!'_

No sooner had that thought entered her mind that she stopped abruptly in her tracks and ducked behind a tree. Quietly peering around its trunk, she glimpsed Kakashi a few feet away from her, eyes glued to his copy of 'Icha-Icha Paradise'. _'Whew, that was too close. He almost heard me that time.'_

"Pssst! Sakura, behind you."

Rightly surprised, Sakura whirled around to come face-to-face with Kakashi. Somehow, he'd managed to sneak up behind her while leaving an after-image on the other side of the tree. Just as she was about to scream, the Copy-nin formed a dual handed ram seal and was instantly covered over by a thicket of bushes that seemed to move around him of their own accord; Sakura herself was surrounded by a whirlwind of leaves. Suddenly, as quickly as it appeared, the cyclone of leaves vanished, as did Kakashi, leaving Sakura alone in a spacious clearing. "Oh my!" Sakura squeaked in shock. Expecting an attack, she whipped her head around in every direction, checking all around her for the elusive, silver-haired Jounin. Just then, something to her right moved. "S-S-Sakura…" a familiar voice said weakly.

"Sasuke-kun!" she exclaimed with joy, turning to face her crush. However, her excitement was short-lived as she saw the Uchiha was literally skewered by a number of kunai, shuriken, senbon, and what looked to be a spear embedded between his shoulder blades. "Sakura, h-h-help me. Please, help me!" he pleaded, sinking to his knees as he leaned against a nearby tree.

However, Sakura could barely do anything at the moment. The shock of seeing Sasuke in such a state was too much of her to bear. "Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs before fainting comically on the forest floor. Over on a nearby tree branch, Kakashi watched her reaction to the _genjutsu _he'd placed on her. "I think I may have over done it a bit," he thought aloud as he leapt to the ground. "But then again, she's got to learn these things."

Nearby, Sasuke had watched the entire ordeal unfold as well, though he couldn't see what Sakura had seen. "Hmp, a genjutsu," he said under his breath to avoid detection by the Jounin. "I'm not surprised he caught her with it. But, I'm not like her and the dobe."

"Say that _after_ you've gotten one of these bells," said Kakashi, flickering into view behind him, "Sasuke-kun," he added in a sing-song voice to toy with the Uchiha. The two stared each other down for a moment, the eyes of each locked on the others, waiting for _any _sign of movement from the other. Finally, Sasuke went on the attack, hurling a volley of kunai and shuriken at the Jounin. Kakashi simply leapt to the side to avoid the flying blades. "There's no point in normal attacks," he said calmly. Sasuke smirked at his remark and chucked a kunai off into the bushes to his right. All of a sudden, a huge log, suspended by a length of rope swung towards Kakashi with surprising speed! _'He set me up with one of my own traps,'_ the Copy-nin thought as he leapt over the log. _'He may be on the same level as Naruto. Damn, I won't be able to read 'Icha-Icha Paradise' anymore.'_

The second Kakashi's feet hit the ground, Sasuke was on him. He leapt up to deliver a powerful kick to the Jounin's head, only to have it blocked and his ankle caught in his opponent's grasp. He then swung at Kakashi with a mean left-hook, which the Copy-nin caught in his palm. Not wasting a second, he whipped his free leg around to attempt an axe-kick at the crown of his opponent's head; it was easily blocked. Sasuke smirked visibly. _'Gotcha.' _His axe-kick had flipped him upside-down into a position to where he was close enough to make a grab for the bells. Just as his index finger tapped one of the bells, Kakashi hastily released him and skidded backwards out of reach. The second after he'd righted himself midair, Sasuke began to weave hand seals at blinding speeds. He finished on the tiger seal as he landed, then brought his right index finger and thumb to his mouth, mimicking a blow-torch. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)!"

"What?!" Kakashi exclaimed in honest surprise. "Genin can't use Fire Jutsu! There's no way!"

_'Wrong answer,'_ Sasuke thought as he exhaled a jet of intense flame. The where Kakashi had stood only seconds ago was quickly engulfed in flames. As the last lick of fire leapt from his lips, Sasuke took a moment to observe his work. However, upon closer inspection, he saw that there was no trace of the silver-haired Jounin. He instinctively looked around the immediate area for his opponent, knowing that he could strike from any direction. "Now, where will you come at me from?" he thought aloud. Just then, he felt something grab his ankle. Surprised, he glanced down to see a hand sticking out of the ground and latched onto his ankle with surprising strength.

"From where you least expect me," said Kakashi's voice, answering his question. Before he even had time to register what happened, Sasuke found himself buried up to his neck in the ground. "Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Style: Headhunter Technique)," Kakashi stated as Sasuke began to strain his now trapped muscles to break free. "Stuck are you? Now that's a damn shame. And only a short window of opportunity remaining for you to try and pass." Leaving Sasuke with that thought, Kakashi flickered away to see what Naruto was up to, leaving the disgruntled Uchiha to try and dig himself out of his earthen prison.

_'Damn! I almost had one of the bells!' _Sasuke thought as he began to scrape away the earth that held his arms in place. All of a sudden, he felt something strange come over him; it felt as thought his brain was trying to frantically tear its way out of his skull. In front of him, the world began to become blurred and fuzzy. _'Ugh, what the hell's happening to me?'_ he thought as he frantically shook his head in attempt to correct his vision and block out the pain. When he opened his eyes again, the world was back in focus and he could feel the pain him his mind fading.

Just then Sakura, who had apparently come to from the genjutsu, sprinted past him. She noticed him out of the corner of her eye and spun to face him. When she first saw him fully, the look on her face gave Sasuke the impression that she was going to faint again. "Whoa, whoa! Hold it Sakura," he said, attempting to calm her. However, that only made things worse. "Aaaaaahhhhh! Sasuke-kun's just a head without a body and he's talking!" she shrieked before fainting to the ground with a loud _Thud!!_

"That's my partner?" Sasuke thought aloud as he managed to burst one of his hands free of the earth. A few moments later, he had finally escaped and was attempting to wake Sakura with some smelling-salts from his _ningu _(ninja tool) holster. _'What fresh, new hell is THIS?'

* * *

_

Meanwhile, Naruto was dashing silently through the trees, leaping from branch to branch, nostrils flaring as he used his heightened sense of smell to track down his 'teammates'. Anytime he'd come close to something that had an extremely faint scent of Kakashi, he skirted around it, knowing that it was most likely a trap. Suddenly, a new scent wafted towards him through the air: _ramen._ "That stench, that heavenly stench," he said softly in disbelief, drawing nearer to the smell. As he landed on another tree branch, he saw that he was back at the onyx monument from earlier. Resting at its base was the source of the intoxicating aroma, a pair of bento that had steam wafting from the folds on the sides.

"Man, that's low, even for Kakashi-sensei," he said clutching his growling stomach. "'A ninja must learn to see underneath the underneath'. Well, I'm not fallin' for that trick twice in one day!" Naruto turned to take off, then stopped for a second. The smell of the ramen in that bento was so tempting! Finally, after a second of contemplation, hunger won out over all else. He leapt from the tree and swiped both boxes in one fell swoop before bounding back behind a nearby tree. "Okay, maybe just a little bite wouldn't hurt," he decided as he cracked open one of the boxes, the sweet aroma of ramen flooding his senses.

"Hey there," came Kakashi's voice from above him. Naruto winced and turned his head upwards to see Kakashi staring down at him from a tree branch. "Um, yeah," said Naruto sheepishly, "I was just kidding sensei. Honestly!"

"Of course you were Naruto," said the Copy-nin. In a flash, Kakashi had Naruto tied to one of the stumps and was dangling the bento just out of reach of the blonde. "You really should've stuck to the rules Naruto. These would've been waiting for you _after_ the test was over."

Naruto grinned slyly, hinting to Kakashi that something was up. "Yeah, but then again... _I'm not Naruto,"_ said the clone before it dispelled in a puff of smoke. Just then Kakashi sensed a source of charka behind him and leapt to one side as the real Naruto crashed into the spot where he had been only a second ago. "I know a trap when I smell one, and those bento had your scent all over them," Naruto said as he ran at Kakashi, claws out at either side. He was inches from nailing the Copy-nin when suddenly, the alarm clock went off. The test was over, and he'd failed.

"Time's up," Kakashi remarked as he removed a length of tetsugen wire from his ningu holster. He quickly become a blur as he ran circles around both Naruto and one of the stumps. Skidding to a stop, he tugged once on wire and Naruto found himself slammed into the stump, unable to break the wire that held him, even with his plasma claws. "A little momento from the last Great Shinobi War," the Jounin told him as he struggled against his bonds. "Tetsugen made of a special heat-resistant alloy for just such an occasion. That was a good try, but you still get tied to the stump."

Naruto glared at Kakashi for a moment, then composed himself as his 'teammates' strode out of trees and sat down in front the stumps on either side of him. They took one look at the bento on top of the stumps and groaned. "Your stomachs are growling, eh?" Kakashi asked sarcastically. "That's too bad. Oh, by the way, the results of this exercise… none of you need to return to the Academy." Now that surprised the trio, especially Sakura and Naruto. "What?" Sakura questioned. "All I did was faint and fall over. Does that count for something?" At the sametime, Inner Sakura was simply elated by what she'd heard. _'Love prevails once again! Cha!!'_

"So that means all three of us..?" Naruto began, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Yes," Kakashi said, "all three of you… _are going to be dropped from the program!"_

"What?! What do you mean, 'dropped from the program'? Why?" Sakura yelled in surprise. Next to her, Naruto simply shook his head and smirked. _'Here we go,'_ he thought._ 'Now we get to the heart of the matter.'_

"Because you're just a bunch of kids who don't even deserve to be shinobi," reasoned Kakashi nonchalantly. To Naruto's right, Sasuke gritted his teeth in rage and ran at Kakashi full force, reaching for his ningu holster. Kakashi had him pinned to the ground in seconds, his foot resting on Sasuke's head. "See, you still think like little kids instead of shinobi. In other words, you three don't understand the nature of this test. _That's_ what determines whether you pass or fail, like you did so miserably. Why do you think we were training you all in groups of three?"

"But," Sakura began. "We've been asking why that is…"

"Geez, are you all _that_ empty-headed? Why do you think you all are in a group?" After a moment of silent contemplation, Kakashi decided they'd had enough. "Teamwork!" he said in aggrevation. Naruto knew were he was going with all of this, but he decided it would be better for his 'teammates' if he kept his mouth shut and listened as Kakashi continued his lecture. "It makes more sense for you to try and take me as a group. You would've been able to at least secure the bells. But you guys went off on your own."

"Wait," Sakura interjected, attempting to make sense of what Kakashi was saying. "Why use teamwork when there're only two bells? Sure two of us would succeed, but one of us would fail. That would lead to group conflict, instead of teamwork."

"Of course the test pits you against one another," Kakashi said. "In a situation like this, we'd select those who prioritize teamwork before themselves. That was the purpose, but you all were pathetic. Sakura! You cared more about Sasuke than Naruto, even though he was right in front of you and you had no idea where Sasuke was."

Kakashi turned to Naruto and addressed him next. "Naruto, granted you took a great gamble for your teammates' sake by fighting me head-on, but all you did was work on your own. I'm sure that the X-Men taught you that there's no such thing as a one-man-army."

"And you," he said pressing down slightly on Sasuke's head, "assumed that the other two were only going to be a burden and did everything yourself. Missions are done as a _team_. It's important that shinobi have unique and well-developed skills, but teamwork is much more vital. An individual action that disrupts such teamwork results in danger, and even death for the teammates. For example…" He reached into his ningu holster and produced a wickedly sharp kunai, pressing it against Sasuke's throat. "Sakura! Kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!"

Seeing Sasuke's life in danger for what she figured was the third time today, Sakura immediately panicked and frantically looked at Naruto and then back at Sasuke, trying to decide which to save. Naruto simply sighed and looked up at the sky, completely unphased. As the son of Wolverine, he'd been the subject of many a hostage situation in the past; plus he had complete confidence that if Sakura _did_ try to kill him, his healing factor would compensate for any injuries he sustained. "That's what'll happen," Kakashi said as he pocketed the kunai, prompting a sigh of relief from Sakura. "In a hostage situation, you'll have a difficult decision to make, and someone will end up dead."

Kakashi stood up and walked away from Sasuke, towards the onyx monument. He stopped a few feet from it, memories of his past flooding into his mind. Faces he wouldn't soon forget. "In every mission," he began, a slight breeze rustling throught the trees, "you'll be putting your life on the line. This monument is a cenotaph, the names engraved here… include those of some of my closest friends; heroes of the village. All of them are dead, K.I.A." He let that sink in for a moment, letting them consider his words, while silently honoring those friends he'd lost in combat. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, he spoke up again. "I'll give you one last chance. However, it'll be a lot harder than before. You'll have three hours to complete the test, eat now to gather strength. But don't give Naruto any, as punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat early. The person that feeds him will immediately fail." He leaned in close to the trio, a seemingly malicious gleam in his eyes. "I make the rules here, got that?"

With that, he flickered away, leaving them to their lunch. As they began to eat, both Sakura and Sasuke noticed that Naruto's stomach began to growl even louder with each passing moment. Sensing their gaze, Naruto beamed his foxy grin at them and tried to relax a bit. "It's no big deal guys," he reassured them. "I'll be fine." No sooner had he spoken that his stomach roared again, the scent of the ramen in the bento quickly becoming too great to bear. _'Oh, man! Why'd he have to put miso ramen in those things?!'_

"Here," Sasuke said, handing him his bento. This immediately surprised Naruto and Sakura. Sakura practically choked on the bite of _onigiri_ she'd been eating. This was so unlike him!

"Okay, which Skrull world are you from and what'd you do with Sasuke-teme?" Naruto asked jokingly. _'Now he gets it,'_ he thought silently.

"Just shut up and eat, dobe."

"What?! No Sasuke-kun," Sakura began, looking left and right. "Kakashi-sensei just said-"

"Its alright, I don't sense his chakra nearby," Sasuke reasoned. "Look, if we want any chance at getting those bells, then we'll need to do this together. Naruto will just be a liability in his current state."

"Gee, thanks for your overwhelming confidence Sasuke," Naruto said sarcastically.

_'Sasuke-kun,'_ thought Sakura. The dark-haired Uchiha's determined and grim attitude seemed to reflect their earlier conversation when she'd awoke. _"Only I can kill that man," _He'd said to her. _"I am an avenger. My sole purpose to to become stronger than him. I can't afford to screw up here." _Sakura looked at her own bento for a moment, and then offered it to Naruto. Her sudden act of kindness really struck a chord with Naruto, even though he tried his best not to show it. She really _did_ care about him after all. From his position behind a tree a few yards away, Kakashi smiled to himself beneath his mask.

_'Hm,'_ he mused, _'looks like they're finally beginning to understand.'_

"S-Sakura-chan, arigatou," Naruto said sincerely.

"You don't need to thank me, really," Sakura replied with a smile. "Just hurry and eat." He started to protest, but she cut him off before he could say anything. "Look, I'm on a diet... I mean, I don't eat as much as Sasuke-kun. So don't worry about it."

"It's not that, it's just... I kind of can't move my hands to my mouth, see?" Naruto reasoned, demonstrating for her by straining against the tetsugen wire. It was true; Kakashi had wrapped him up tight. Sakura's eyebrow twitched slightly at this, vein forming on her forehead. _'You gotta be kidding me!!'_ Inner Sakura raged.

"Hurry it up," Sasuke rushed them, checking from right to left. "We don't know when he'll be back. Just feed 'em and get it over with."

"Ugh," Sakura groaned as she served up a length of ramen noodles. "I'm only doing this once, got it Naruto?!"

"Got it Sakura-chan," the blonde replied. "I won't breathe a word of this to anyone, especially Ino." Somewhat satisfied, Sakura fed him his miso ramen as he made a mental note to Kyuubi to keep this memory on file for later. It was then that the ramen hit his taste-buds. _'Oh God!!' _he thought in pure ecstasy. _'This has got to be the best miso ramen I've ever tasted!!'_

No sooner had he swallowed that bite of ramen that a huge explosion erupted in front of them, creating a massive shockwave that threatened to knock them back into the stumps. Suddenly, Kakashi appeared from the cloud of dust that resulted from the blast, what could be seen of his face was contorted in rage. **"You three!"** he roared. Sakura immediately panicked and threw her hands up to protect herself. To her right, Naruto and Sasuke braced for an attack, Naruto flicking out his plasmaclaws. He knew they wouldn't be any good, tied down as he was, but he planned on going out fighting with his teammates regardless.

"You three have broken the rules," Kakashi said menacingly. "Are you ready to face the consequences?" He formed a dual handed ram seal and suddenly an incredible thunderstorm manifested in the sky. The clouds blotted out the sun; lightning scorched the earth around them, a massive cyclone touched down over them, cutting them off from escape. "Any last words?" the Copy-nin questioned.

Sasuke and Naruto glanced at one another for a moment, then glared back at Kakashi. "We're a team right?" Sasuke asked, eyeing Naruto.

"All for one, and one for all," Naruto replied, grinning at Kakashi. "The three of us are one." By this time, Sakura had cued into what the boys were talking about and decided it was time she backed them up. "That's right!" she shouted, her voiced filled with renewed confidence. "The three of us are one. We're all a team!"

"So the three of you are one, eh?" Kakashi asked darkly. "That's your excuse?" Naruto and Sasuke steeled themselves for what they knew would be coming next: total annihilation. Sakura winced as the lightning flashed ominously overhead. Then, everything was quiet. The wind and lightning ceased, the clouds rolled away, and the sun shone as brightly as it had a few minutes ago. "You pass," said a grinning Kakashi.

**"Wha...?!" **said the trio in surprise.

"You. Pass."

"Pass, but why?" asked a rightly befuddled Sakura.

"You guys are the first," the Copy-nin explained as he began to untie Naruto. Once the bonds were off, Naruto began to rub his sore arms where the wire had bit into them. "The others I tested were idiots who just did as I instructed them. You guys were the first to think for yourselves. "A ninja must learn to see underneath the underneath." True, in the shinobi world those who break the rules are branded scum. But... those who abandon their comrades, their friends, are worse than scum."

_'Hmp, same creed, same mysterious aire, same teaching styles,'_ Naruto thought as he smiled and shook his head. _'No wonder he's __your__ friend dad. You guys are so much alike.'_

"Alright! The training is over," continued Kakashi. "You all pass! Team 7 starts their first official mission tomorrow! Now, how about we celebrate over at Ichiraku Ramen? My treat, this time."

"An offer you may soon regret Kakashi-sensei," joked Naruto as he and Team 7 headed back to the village. The rest of the day was filled with celebration and excitement for all of the Rookie 9 as they rejoiced in the fact that they'd survived their team's first grueling test as shinobi. As far as Naruto and Team 7 were concerned, tomorrow couldn't have sounded more like a brighter day.

* * *

**Alright gang! Looks like our heroes are now official shinobi, and its about time too. Sorry Naruto didn't beat Kakashi outright, but he _is_ still getting the hang of the shinobi world. Don't tune out just yet, 'cause the next chapter takes Team 7 to the Land of Waves on their first major mission. How will they fare? What enemies await them? And will Sasuke and Sakura discover their mutations? All these questions and more will be answered, so stay tuned and remember to R&R! Also, those of you I haven't heard from who've added this to their Alerts/Faves, feel free to review too; I'd like to hear from you guys.**


	5. 5 Disembark to the Land of Waves!

**Greetings again True Believers! Sorry it took so long to post this, but with last few weeks of school winding down, it was hard to find time to write this. But now it is Summer, and I'm free to update even faster than before. But enough about that, 'cause with summer comes a new wave of action for Team 7, as they set out on their newest mission yet. Now, on with the fanfic...**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Disembark to the Land of Waves!**

**Five Weeks after the Bell Test.**

It was another wonderful, sunny day in the village of Konohagakure. While the rest of the village was absorbed in its day-to-day activities, a small brown cat was strolling through the forest on the village outskirts, a small bow tied around its neck. However, the feline was unaware that its movements were being tracked by a pair of eyes hidden behind a crimson visor. By a stroke of luck, Naruto had managed to finally locate the cat with both his enhanced sense of smell and his visor's infrared mode. From his position behind an aging tree, Naruto radioed in find to his teammates. "Sasuke-teme, Sakura-chan, target confirmed," he whispered into his COM Link. "What's your status guys?"

"I'm in the tree 20 meters south of your position," Sasuke responded. "What kept you, dobe? I'd already found this thing three minutes ago."

"I had a hard time locating it with my visor. There are a lot of cat-sized heat signatures in this forest, okay?! Geez, Sakura-chan, how about you?"

"I'm behind a bush, a yard or so away from the target," Sakura radioed back. "And quit talking to Sasuke-kun like that Naruto! It's not his fault you couldn't find it."

"Alright team," came Kakashi's voice on all three channels. "You know what to do."

"Roger," they responded. Naruto switched his COM Link off and counted down silently. '_3 ...2 ...1 ... Now!'_ At that moment, all three shinobi leap from their hiding spots and tackled the unsuspecting cat. When the dust settled, Naruto was the one holding the cat, which was attempting to latch onto his face and scratch the living hell out of him. "Target retrieval successful," Sasuke radioed in.

"Excellent job," Kakashi said. "Can you confirm the target's identity? Are you sure it's Tora?"

"Of course it's frickin' Tora! We've only caught this damn cat, what, fifty-five times?!" Naruto yelled over the COM Link. It was at that moment that Tora decided to dig his claws into the flesh of Naruto's forearm. "YEEEE-OW! Someone get this stupid cat off me!!"

Fifteen minutes later, Team 7 reassembled in Sarutobi's Office in Hokage tower, where the Fire Daimyo's wife was picking up Tora. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura stood silently as they waited to receive their next assignment, while Naruto sat cross-legged on the floor, drumming his fingers against one knee in boredom. He'd had it with all these D-Rank assignments! This was about the 75th time they'd been given a low ranking mission and as always, it was to do a menial chore that kids in America usually did on a day-to-day basis.

_'Ugh, this is so aggravating!'_ he thought to himself with a yawn. _'It's been so long since I've had some excitement. I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever see action again.'_

_**'Well Kit,'**_ said Kyuubi. _**'Not every ninja mission is gonna have excitement or fighting. You've just got to take what they give ya… until you make Chunin or Jounin that is.'**_

_'Yeah, I know. But seriously, even __schoolwork__ back at the Institute wasn't as boring as this is! I'm about to go crazy it's so boring!'_

"Alright," said Sarutobi, abruptly snapping Naruto's thoughts back to reality. "Let's see what we've got for your next mission." He then went over a long list of tasks that were all D-Rank assignments, much to Naruto's dismay. The blonde groaned audibly, which was enough to catch Sarutobi's attention. "Is something the matter, Naruto?"

_'Uh-oh,'_ thought Kakashi with a sigh. _'I was afraid he was going to do this at one point or another.'_

_'What are doing, dobe?'_ thought Sasuke, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," the young X-Man said, responding to Sarutobi's question. "It's just that, all you've given us so far are these boring D-Rank missions. I wish you'd give us something that's a bit more... challenging, for a change. I mean, you could pay the kid down the street to do crap like this. It's so monotonous."

Just as Iruka, who sat next to the Hokage, was about to berate Naruto for his some-what arrogant tone, Sarutobi silenced him with a wave of his hand. "Alright then Naruto," he said calmly. "From what you've shown on your past assignments, you and your team _have_ proven time and again that you have the capacity to handle a tougher mission." Sarutobi then looked over a C-Rank assignment that he'd recently received. "This will be your first C-Rank mission. You will be escorting a bridge-builder by the name of Tazuna to the Land of Waves, after which you will stay and protect him and his workers from any trouble that may come their way until the time their current project is completed."

The Sandaime Hokage then nodded at a pair of Chunin that stood by the office sliding-doors and they let in a slightly drunken man with graying hair and round-rimmed glasses. He held a sake bottle in one hand. "So, this is the team that's gonna be protecting me eh?" he questioned with a bit of a chuckle. "No offense, but the all look pretty pathetic, especially the one with the whiskers and the fiery lookin' hair (Naruto's hair still had red dyed into the spikes). Ah well, I got a bridge that needs buildin' so let's go."

"Actually Tazuna-san," said Kakashi, "I think it'd be best if we left in the morning. We'll be better prepared for the journey that way." He mentally added, _'Plus you'll be sober then too, making it a lot less difficult for us to protect you.'_

"Hmp, whatever you say," was the man's reply. The man then departed for the nearest inn to reserve a room for the night, leaving Team 7 to prep for their journey. As he left Hokage tower, Naruto could barely contain his enthusiasm. This would be his first time outside Konohagakure! Finally, something exciting!

_'And there's no better way to celebrate a new mission than at Ichiraku Ramen!'_ he thought to himself as he headed for his favorite restaurant. Nearing the shop, the wondrous scent of freshly cooked ramen wafting through the air flooded his senses. Pushing aside the curtains, Naruto was surprised to see Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, and Shino seated at the counter. Akamaru barked a greeting as he entered, which alerted the others to his presence.

"Yo Naruto, what's up?" said Kiba cheerfully, patting his friend on the back as he sat down next to them.

"Not much Kiba," he replied. "Oij-sama finally gave us a mission that isn't a D-Rank!"

"Sweet! What'cha gonna be doin'?" As Naruto began to explain what had transpired at Hokage tower a few moments ago, Hinata sat silently next to Kiba, staring longingly at her crush. Ever since the Academy, she'd had feelings for Naruto, and although they'd become good friends, she still felt butterflies in her stomach whenever they were together.

_'Why is it so difficult just to talk to him?'_ she wondered as she watched him eat his order of miso ramen._ 'How come I can never find the words to stay when we're together?'_ Suddenly, she felt a slight twinge of pain flare up in her head. She'd been having headaches for a few weeks now, but each one seemed to grow more intense than the previous.

Naruto noticed Hinata wince in pain and put her hand to her temple. Something was wrong; she'd done that yesterday when he'd dropped off a package from Sandaime at the Hyuuga compound. "Hey, Hinata," he began, "are you feeling alright?"

"Y-y-yes, Naruto-kun," she replied, pretending nothing was wrong. "I-i-it's just a headache is all. N-n-n-nothing to worry about."

"Maybe you should get some rest anyhow, just to be safe," Naruto suggested, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"I-I guess you're right," she agreed remorsefully. She'd really wanted to stay and talk with him some more, but he was probably right. Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru elected to walk her home, seeing as they lived in that direction anyhow. Naruto said goodbye and told Hinata too get well soon, which caused her to blush noticeably. After they'd left, he turned back to his meal.

_'Hmmm,' _he thought as he ate another bite of miso ramen._ 'I wonder what's up with Hinata. It's probably none of my business, but it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her.'_

Just as Naruto reached to take a sip of the tea that Ayame had set out for him, he heard a slight _tnk_ sound. Looking down, he noticed that his glass had suddenly developed a miniscule, hairline crack in it, one that seemed to spider out to all dimensions of the cup. _'Now that's odd,' _he thought quizzically.Naruto wasn't a superstitious person, yet something in his gut told him that this new mission of his wasn't something he should take lightly. After he'd finished his meal and paid, Naruto trudged back home to pack for the trip and get a good night's rest. He knew that he'd have to be prepared for whatever tomorrow would hold.

* * *

The following morning, Naruto awoke bright and early to double-check his provisions he'd packed the previous night after donning his cyber-visor and civilian attire. Everything seemed to be in place, from the first cup of 'instant' ramen, right down to the last round of signal flares. His bizarre 'premonition' last night had put him somewhat on edge, but he'd remembered that he made his own luck, not the other way around. Still, it didn't hurt to be cautious, especially when on an escort mission.

Seeing as he was already up and ready, he headed out for the village gates and, once there, set his backpack down on a rock and proceeded to wait for the rest of his team. A slight mist hung over the village that morning, making it a bit difficult to see at first; but after a while, Naruto's eyes adjusted. Half an hour later, Sasuke showed up wearing his usual disinterested scowl, Sakura trailing faithfully behind her crush. He greeted them warmly, only to receive the usual "hmp" from the Uchiha.

_'I still have no idea what she sees in him,'_ Naruto thought as he flash-cooked a cup of ramen with his plasma claws, then set about devouring it. An hour later, after he'd finished his ramen and cycled through his iPod's collection of Diana Krall songs at least once, Kakashi finally showed up with Tazuna in tow.

"Well, it looks as though you three are all set," the Copy-nin surmised. "Time to head out."

"All right!!" Naruto exclaimed in excitement, punching the air. "Let's roll!"

"Hey," Tazuna said, pointing at Naruto, "will a kid like this _really_ be capable of handling a mission like this?"

Now _that_, got Naruto annoyed. Who was this old geezer to question his competence for a mission? He'd been on more possible A-Rank missions with the X-Men than he could count on his fingers _and_ toes! "Hey!" he said sharply, staring at Tazuna with an annoyed expression. "Don't ever underestimate me, you got that? You're looking at an elite shinobi who's gone on more missions abroad than you'd even think, and the future Hokage! The name's Uzumaki-Howlett Naruto, remember it!"

'_Naruto,'_ Sakura thought silently, a vein throbbing on her forehead.

'_Idiot,'_ Sasuke glowered.

"Yeah right," replied Tazuna, taking a swig of sake. "There's no way a kid like you'd ever become Hokage."

"_Grrrr._ Whatever, ya old geezer. Think what you want, but I _will_ become Hokage, you can count on that for sure." Deciding that further arguing would've been pointless, Naruto dropped the subject for now, and the group continued onward towards their destination. However, none of them noticed the two pairs of eyes that followed them from the trees wherever they went.

Several hours later, the group came up to a bridge that spanned a small river. Upon crossing the bridge, they continued down the path towards the shore, where Tazuna had said a boat was waiting to ferry them over to the Wave Country. They hadn't gone a mile from the bridge when Naruto stopped suddenly. Looking to either side, he sniffed the air warily. Something's scent had caught his nose a second ago, but what it was he couldn't tell. "Hey, dobe, what's the hold up?" called Sasuke over his shoulder as the group continued on ahead.

"Um, it's nothin'," Naruto said, checking over his shoulder as he caught up with them. It was then that he noticed a puddle on the side of the road. He'd been standing a few meters from it when Sasuke'd called out to him. _'That's weird,'_ he thought, taking a moment to observe his surroundings. _'From the looks of the area, it hasn't rained here in a while. The road's way too dusty to. Something ain't right here.'_

Suddenly, as if to confirm his suspicions, a cloaked figure rose menacingly out of the puddle. He wore a camouflage outfit, a tattered black cloak, a clawed gauntlet on his right hand, and a respirator that covered most of his face; the _hitaite_ on his head had pair of horns sprouting from the metal. In one fluid motion, the assassin whipped out a blade-covered chain, which was attached to his gauntlet, and flung it at them with all is might. There was a second assassin linked to the opposite end of the chain! The instant he landed in front of them, he flicked out with his end of the chain and lassoed it around Kakashi, restraining him completely. With a single jerk from either end, the pair shredded Kakashi into a thousand pieces, which rained to the ground in a sickening _thud._

"Kakashi-sensei!" shrieked Sakura in horror. The second that she screamed, Naruto was already on the offensive, shedding his backpack as he went to increase his speed. Meizu, the second, younger assassin, noticed the blonde charging at them and swung his end of the blade-chain at him. Naruto swiftly ducked under the blade and rose up to attack, plasma claws scything through the air.

"Eat plasma, camo-freak!" Naruto shouted. In one, swift, upward stroke, he sliced clean through Meizu's respirator and carved a set of five smoking lines into his face. With his respirator gone, Meizu's mouth was clearly visible as he uttered an inhuman cry of pain, groping at his ruined face with his free arm. Naruto grinned in satisfaction and moved to add insult to injury, when suddenly a jolt of incredible pain traveled through his entire body, forcing to his knees. He glanced down at his left arm to see a series of hairline cuts running along his left arm, each oozing with some translucent liquid. _'Damn, the chain's razor-blades were poisoned!'_ he thought. _'I can feel it startin' to spread through my body!'_

_**'Don't worry about it Kit,'**_ Kyuubi reassured him._** 'My healing factor will clear it up in a sec, just hang tough!'**_

_'Easy for you to say, you don't have two incredibly pissed-off mercenaries breathing down your neck at the moment!'_

"Die, ya little brat!" roared Meizu, clutching his ruined face as he swung his chain. Gozou, coming to the aid of his injured brother, flicked out his length of the chain as well.

It was at that moment that Sasuke sprang into action, literally. He leapt to one side and flung a shuriken at an open link in the chains. All his shurikenjutsu training as a kid paid off as the throwing star found its mark, fastening the chains securely to a nearby tree trunk. A well-placed kunai knife ensured its stability a second later. "Damn!" Gozou swore, struggling to free his arm. "It won't budge!" Sasuke grinned in satisfaction and flickered away, only to reappear standing atop both assassins' trapped arms. In one swift motion, the Uchiha dropped to grab onto the brother's gloves and lashed out with both feet simultaneously, nailing both of them in the Adam's apple.

The two assassins staggered back, stunned from the blow. Upon quickly recovering, their chains discharged from the gauntlets, freeing them up to launch at two-pronged attack on Tazuna. Naruto attempted to stand and stop them, but he was in no condition to fight until Kyuubi's healing factor had done its job. Suddenly, a blur of motion caught his eye. A moment later, he saw Sasuke reappear in front of Tazuna and Sakura, arms out at either side to protect them. Just as Meizu was about to gut him, Kakashi suddenly appeared out of thin air, Gozou hanging limply under his left arm, and clothes-lined the young assassin. Within seconds, he'd wrapped his arm around the younger brother's windpipe and twisted, snapping his neck like a toothpick. _Crack!_ Meizu's body maintained its hang time for a moment, and then slumped lifelessly in the Jounin's grasp, dead as a doornail.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura exclaimed in relief at seeing their sensei alive.

"Hey gang, sorry to scare you for a second there," grinned the Copy-nin sheepishly.

_'Damn he's fast,' _Naruto though as he looked over to where they'd seen Kakashi 'perish'. A pile of hacked up lumber had taken the place of their sensei's supposed remains. _'He'd already performed Kawarimi in half the time we'd taken to blink! I doubt even Quicksilver could've reacted __that__ fast.'_

"Good job you guys," Kakashi approved as he set the two assassins down underneath a nearby tree. "Sakura, you did good, protecting Tazuna like that. Sasuke, Naruto, you both handled the situation smoothly."

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei," Naruto replied, shakily rising to his feet.

'_**You're in the green, Kit,'**_ Kyuubi said, having finished healing him. _**'There's still some poison around the wound's opening, but its nothing you can't cauterize with your claws.'**_

'_Swell,'_ Naruto returned, before glancing sideways at Sasuke. _'Man, why'd he have to show me up like that? I didn't need his help.'_

"Well, now that the crisis at hand is over you've got a lot of explaining to do, Tazuna-san," said Kakashi, turning to face the bridge-builder. "These jokers who attacked us were Chunin from Kirigakure, who specialized in berserker-like assaults. When you hired us, you asked for standard protection, against highwaymen and bandits. You never said that there were ninja looking for you, hunting you down. If we knew this, it would've been a B-Rank mission or higher, and we would've staffed and charged accordingly. We were only supposed to protect you until your bridge was finished, _not_ field attacks from enemy ninja. Apparently, you have your reasons for lying to us, but it is still unacceptable. We are far beyond the scope of our mission at this point."

"Kakashi-sensei, this is way too advanced for us as Genin," Sakura reasoned. "We should go back to the village and get Naruto's hand checked out."

"Don't worry about me Sakura-chan," Naruto told her. He materialized his plasma claws on his right hand and swiftly pushed them into the spot where he'd first been cut. The intense energy burned into the wound, both cauterizing it and neutralizing the remaining poison. It hurt like hell, but Naruto fought back his urge to roar in pain, knowing that he'd dealt with worse in the past. "Upon this wound," he proclaimed,"I vow _never_ to be a burden to the mission from here on out. And I'll never have to be saved by Sasuke-teme ever again, believe it!"

"Naruto! What are you doing?!" Sakura exclaimed.

"It's okay," he reassured her. "My healing factor already took care of the poison; I'm just sealing the wound so it won't get infected." Sakura was silent for a moment, and then nodded in approval. Naruto then took a length of gauze from his pack and began to wrap up his hand. "Tazuna-san," he said, having finished bandaging his hand, "you may have lied to us, but I aim to finish this mission, no matter what. It takes a lot more than a couple'a clowns in camo PJs to scare me off."

The rest of the group regarded Naruto with silent awe in that moment. He'd just come inches from death, yet he still chose to continue. _'Hmm,'_ thought Kakashi. _'He mentioned a healing factor, yet so far all we've seen of his mutation are his plasma claws. Could his healing powers be a result of his unity with the Kyuubi?' _Deciding it would be best to save this thought until another time, the Copy-nin sighed and turned to face Sakura and Sasuke. "Well, Naruto not withstanding, what do you two think?"

"I'm with the dobe on this one," Sasuke replied calmly, much to everyone's surprise. "If the enemies we'll have to face later on are anything like these weaklings, we can beat them easily."

"Hmm. And what about you Sakura?"

"Well," the pink-haired kunoichi paused for a moment. "Naruto seems to be okay, and if you and Sasuke think we can handle it..."

"Alright, I guess it's settled. We'll continue the mission as planned." With that, Kakashi hid the bodies of the Demon Brothers, Naruto retrieved his backpack, and the group resumed their trek towards the coast. Just as Tazuna made to follow them, he felt Kakashi's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't think you're off the hook just yet," the Jounin whispered. "We'll talk about your deception later." After that, Tazuna didn't hear a word from Kakashi the rest of the journey. Later that night, when they had made it to their designated campsite near the beach, Kakashi decided to ask Naruto a question about his days with the X-Men.

"So, Naruto," he began, "Sandaime-sama tells me that you were made a member of the X-Men's field team when you were eleven. Care to share what life with the X-Men is like?"

"Well, it's a lot different from the Academy in the village, I can tell you that much," replied Naruto in-between bites of instant-ramen. "The Institute's main building is like any typical American prep-school. The classes are mainly the same too; English, math, science, history, drama, P.E. and some other classes that are a lot different. Then there's the Sub-Basement, that's where the students who want to become X-Men train in the Danger Room and stuff like that. But, our missions are probably a lot different from what ninja do."

"How so?" asked Sakura, gaining interest as the blonde spoke.

Naruto smiled, thinking back to some of the missions he'd been a part of with the X-Men. "I can tell you guys, they're a blast! I've been on a lot of really diverse missions in the past, ranging from VIP protection and peace-keeping, to hostage rescues and all-out battles in the most unlikely of places. Usually I got assigned to stuff like crowd control or search-and-rescues, but then there were times when I got to be right in the middle of the action, duking it out with some of the worst villains in the world! Heck, I even got to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. from time to time. Now granted, dad wanted me to be safe and not do anything stupid, but that never really happened. But, it wasn't always easy, I can tell you that. Sometimes it felt as though I was gonna collapse after certain missions."

At this, Team 7 couldn't help but look at him in awe. Even Kakashi and Sasuke were impressed. "So basically," Kakashi said jerking his thumb at Sasuke and Sakura, "while these two were learning the basics of chakra and hand seals, you were being assigned to missions that we'd have reserved for Chunin and Jounin?"

"I guess so," the blonde shrugged nonchalantly, taking another bite of ramen.

"Wow," Sakura marveled.

_'Well, that's interesting,'_ mused Sasuke as he digested what Naruto had told him, along with his food. He had considered asking him more, but he decided against it. Just as he was about to take another bite of his meal, his eyes began to itch again. _'Argh! Damn it! Why does this keep happening?!' _he thought as he rubbed at his eyes furiously. Ever since the bell test, Sasuke'd been experiencing frequent headaches, along with a bizarre irritation in the backs of his eyes. At first he though it was just his Sharingan developing, but the symptoms had begun to appear on a regular basis.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" Sakura asked him, a hint of concern in her voice.

"I'm fine Sakura-chan," he replied, annoyed at his vulnerability. "My eyes just itch is all."

Naruto, who was seated to Sakura's right, had also noticed Sasuke's irritation. He'd seen Sasuke rub at his eyes like that a few days ago, but this time was different somehow, more intense. _'Hmm,' _he thought, poking at a glowing ember with his claws._ 'First Hinata's headaches and now Sasuke's itchy eyes. What could be going on here?'_

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Sakura exclaimed, a look of realization on her face as she bent to rummage through her backpack for something. Her expression changed to one of satisfaction as she produced a small bottle, complete with a dropper attachment at the top. "I picked up these eye-drops for you last night Sasuke-kun. I hope they help with the itching."

Sasuke didn't know how to react at first, but after a moment, he took the bottle from her and carefully applied a drop of the solution to each of his eyes. After a couple of blinks, he noticed that the itching had all but stopped completely; in a few minutes, it would probably even be gone. Sasuke turned and looked at Sakura with an intrigued look. Up until now, he'd only seen her as just another fan girl, but now she seemed... different. She seemed to genuinely care about him, instead of just chase after him haphazardly like the others, simply because he was popular. "Arigatou, Sakura-chan," he said finally, pocketing the eye-drops.

Kakashi watched all of this unfold from his seat on the log parallel to the kids with a feeling of nostalgia tugging at the back of his mind. Seeing the way that Sakura and Sasuke acted together reminded him of the old days, of the friends he'd made so long ago. Especially a certain pair that would always remain a part of him. _'It's like looking into a mirror,' _thought the silver-haired Jounin, chuckling mentally as Sasuke resumed his tense composure._ 'Well, almost.'_ He shifted his gaze upwards, watching the fire's smoke as it drifted lazily into the endless sky of stars above them. _'I still can't tell what the future holds, even with this eye. But, I guess that's one of life's greatest mysteries, not knowing. Hmm? Obito?'_**

* * *

**

The next morning, the group awoke early and set out for a small alcove near the far side of the beach. There they met a friend of Tazuna's who had offered to take them back over to the Land of Waves in his boat. A thick fog had rolled in that morning, making it nearly impossible for the group to see for about ten feet in front of them. For about two-fourths of the trip they used the craft's outboard motor, and then shut it off halfway and switched to using a conventional wooden oar. After an hour and a half of such travel, they were finally able to see the bridge; even though it was far from finished, it was still very impressive. When Sakura asked why they were being so sneaky, Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "Alright Tazuna-san," he said firmly. "Why did you deceive us back there? You must have had a good reason. Either you tell us now, or I'll personally see to it that this mission ends once we reach the Land of Waves."

Tazuna was silent for a moment, then he adjusted his glasses along the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I have no choice but to tell you. No, I _want_ you to know the truth. It's just as you said, this is 'beyond the scope of the original mission'. The one who seeks my life is a very short man, who casts a very long and deadly shadow. I'm sure you've heard his name before; the shipping magnate, Gatou."

"Gatou?" Kakashi interjected. "Of _Gatou Transport Inc._? He's a well-known and respected businessman."

"Yes, that's all true indeed," Tazuna continued. "But, below the surface of his corporation, with the same ruthlessness he uses in his business practices, he runs an underworld crime-ring that deals in drug-trafficking and illegal contraband. He's known to employ both ninja and Yakuza to take care of any wetwork he needs done. Exactly one year ago, when he first laid his eyes on the Land of Waves, he used his vast wealth to usurp total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who opposed him or stood in his way simply, _disappeared. _In an island nation such as our own, whoever controls the sea controls everything. But there is one thing that Gatou truly fears, and that is the bridge. Once it is completed, it will join us to the mainland and finally break his control over us."

"So that's it," Sakura said after he'd finished. "Since you're this bridge's architect and oversee its construction, you're this guy's only real threat to controlling this island."

"That means that those two jokers we fought yesterday were hired by Gatou as well," Sasuke surmised grimly.

"So if you knew how dangerous this was, why didn't you tell us this back when you first asked for the mission?" Kakashi asked sternly.

"Because, the Land of Waves is a small and impoverished nation," Tazuna said sadly. "Heck, even our nobles have little money. The common people, who're building this bridge, can't pay for an A or B-Ranked mission, as it is far too expensive."

_'Grrr,'_ Naruto growled in his mind, grinding his teeth angrily. He'd been listening to Tazuna's story while perched near the bow of the boat, all of his senses open and scanning for any threats as they went. However, the more he heard about Gatou's cruelty and the plight of the Land of Waves, the angrier he became. _'It's people like this Gatou guy and the Kingpin that really make me wanna forget Xavier-Oij-sama's lectures on human/ mutant equality. This jerk is willing to oppress innocent people, just so he can get richer! If I __**ever**__ run into this guy..!'_

Shaking off his rage, Naruto tapped Kakashi on the shoulder. "Kakashi-sensei, even if Tazuna-san deceived us to get this mission, I really think we should go ahead with the original mission," he said adamantly. "If we've gotten this far, we should at least see this through to the end. That, and I can't stand to sit by and let this Gatou guy run rough-shot over these people like this. It's just not right"

"Yes, Naruto, it's not right," agreed Kakashi calmly. "And while I agree with your suggestion, keep in mind what our mission is here, as well as how severe it may become. Our next opponents won't be Chunin, like those two from yesterday; they'll most likely be Jounin, highly skilled and trained to kill at the drop of a hat. Understood?"

Naruto nodded in compliance. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei. I understand completely."

Fifteen minutes later, their boat neared the end of the bridge and entered a long and dark tunnel. Once inside, Naruto ignited his plasma claws, in order to help their guide better navigate the catacombs. Soon they reached the exit and were greeted with a beautiful blue sky, in sharp contrast to the gloomy mist on the opposite end of the tunnel. After they had landed at one of the nearby docks, they thanked their guide and set out for Tazuna's house, which was located clear on the other side of a dense forest. As they walked through the quiet forest, Naruto kept his senses wide open, sniffing the air every once and a while. Ten minutes later, as the group neared a small lake, he caught a human scent off to his right and held up his hand, signaling everyone else to halt.

A gleaming, serrated hunting dagger popped out from a hidden compartment in his jacket's sleeve. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying into the brush, a satisfying _thunk!_ following a fraction of a second later. Suddenly, Naruto's ears picked up the sound of air being displaced, like a vacuum. At the same time, he noticed that the human scent he'd smelled a second earlier had been replaced with that of an animal. Walking over to the spot were his dagger had landed and parting the bushes, Naruto was greeted by the sight of a frightened, trembling-

"BAKA!" Sakura yelled as she ran over and forcefully shoved him aside. "You acted up over a bunny rabbit of all things?!" She bent down and picked up the shaking rabbit, rocking it back and forth as she cradled it in her arms to calm it down. Luckily for both Naruto and the rabbit, the knife had embedded itself in a tree, just inches above the poor creature's head.

"Quit tryin' t freak me out, ya damn kid!" Tazuna swore, sweat running down his neck like a river.

_'Dobe,'_ thought Sasuke. _'Remind me why he's a member of the X-Men for kami's sake?!'_

_'Ugh,'_ Naruto thought, rolling his eyes. He retrieved his dagger and returned it to his sheath. He was about to stand up when the rabbit caught his eye again. Its coat was pure white. _'Hold up. That's a snow rabbit from the North, like the ones up in Alaska. Their coats only turn white in the winter months, when the days are shorter and there's less light out. So why is this thing white when...?' _Just then, he noticed Kakashi staring at the rabbit as well. It was in that moment that it clicked: someone had raised this rabbit indoors and away from the light so that it could be used for a _kawarimi_.

_'So, they're already here,' _he thought, scanning the area.

All of a sudden, a dense, ominous blanket of mist rolled into the area. Naruto began reflexively curling and uncurling his hands, wanting to bring his plasma claws to bear, but holding off until the _real_ enemy was in sight. Suddenly, a huge sword came flying at them from out of the trees! "Hit the dirt!" he yelled as he ducked to avoid the massive, bladed projectile. The rest of group followed suit and leapt out of the sword's path. It passed harmlessly over their heads and embedded itself into the trunk of a nearby tree. After a moment of silence, the blade's apparent owner flickered into existence, standing on its cumbersome hilt with his back to them.

He was a dark, foreboding figure, garbed in a pair of purple, pinstripe slacks, cow-print cloth braces and leg-warmers, and standard shinobi sandals. His mouth was bandaged from the bridge of his nose all the way down to his shoulders, a Kirigakure no Sato hitai-ite tied around his forehead. It was then that Naruto recognized him; he'd seen his photo in the Konohagakure Bingo Book when he'd downloaded the digital version into Cerebra's files. Only nuke-nin from the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist wielded a _Kubikiri Hocho _(Decapitating Knife) of that size.

"Well, well, well," preened Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Mist, from his perch atop his blade. "What do we have here?"

* * *

**Oh boy! Looks like Team 7 has a new foe to deal with if they want to see their mission through to fruition. Don't tune out yet ladies and gentlemen, the next chapter with be up as soon as possible. So be ready for a one-of-a-kind battle, as Naruto and company show Zabuza just what they're made of. Remember to R&R as you see fit, and stay tuned.**


	6. 6 The Demon of the Mist

**Alright True Believers, the wait is over! (Whew!) You wouldn't believe how long it took to get the layout done for this fight, but its finally finished! Now, not only will you get to witness the epic clash of two powerful Jounin, but you'll also get a glimpse at one of Naruto's new techniques! But enough of my rambling, there's a fight to get to! On with the fanfic...**

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Demon of the Mist.**

"Now, ain't this a surprise," laughed Zabuza Momochi as he stared down at Team 7 and Tazuna from atop his sword. Naruto clenched his fists anxiously as the nuke-nin spoke. Behind his bandages, his voice was gruff and evil, almost like that of Sabertooth. "Who'd have thought I'd find you here, Hatake Kakashi. Or should I call you by your alias, 'Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye'? Did I get that right?"

_'What?! The Sharingan?'_ thought Sasuke in surprise. He whipped his head around to stare at Kakashi intently. _'How could he...'_

"Hmph," responded Kakashi nonchalantly. "And, you must be Momochi Zabuza, 'The Demon of the Hidden Mist'. S-Class nuke-nin. Graduated from the Kirigakure no Sato Shinobi Academy by slaying his entire class, despite his lack of ninja training. Ex-member of the Seven Swordsmen of the 'Blood' Mist and leader of Kirigakure's assassination squad before being exiled following his failed _coup_ against the Mizukage."

"Heh, impressive," replied Zabuza.

_'This is not good,'_ Naruto thought, a sudden feeling of unease washing over him.

"Alright, enough small talk Kakashi," the nuke-nin growled, kneeling down to clasp the hilt of his blade. "Let's not make this any bloodier than it needs to be. Hand over the old man and I'll spare you and your pathetic excuse for a team."

"Now, you know that I can't do that Zabuza," Kakashi rebutted dryly as he slowly lifted his hitai-ite, revealing his left eye, which was shut in intense concentration like his right. After a moment, which seemed like an eternity, he opened his eyes, revealing a red pupil in his left, its iris hemmed with three separate _tome._ "Everyone," he said to the group over his shoulder, "Manji Battle Formation. Protect Tazuna, and _don't_ interfere."

All three of them nodded in acknowledgement and got into position around Tazuna. Naruto to his left, ready to ignite his plasma claws; Sakura to his right, a kunai at the ready; and Sasuke out in front, his hand shadowing his ninguholster. _'How does Kakashi have the Sharingan?'_ Sasuke thought, still staring at Kakashi's left eye in astonishment. _'Sharingan is a rare trait that only manifests itself in a few members of the Uchiha clan, __my__ clan.'_

"Heh, looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action," Zabuza said bluntly, a grin barely visible beneath his bandages. "_This_ is an honor. I have the pleasure of being the one who slew 'The Man Who Copied a Thousand Jutsu'. Kakashi, the Copy Ninja." With that, Zabuza grabbed hold of his sword and kicked off of the tree, ripping the blade free in the process. To the amazement of Naruto and his friends, he landed on the top of the water and _stood_ there, one hand at mouth-level and the other raised above his head, both forming a ninjutsu seal. Tiny droplets of water swirled around him like a small hurricane.

_'He's building up a huge amount of chakra,'_ Kakashi observed silently,_ 'and channeling it into the water. This could be trouble.'_

"Ninpou: Kiri Gakure no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu)," said Zabuza menacingly. In a matter of seconds, the mist that blanketed the area became thicker than it was before, causing Zabuza to vanish without a trace.

"This is not good," Kakashi said as the mist enveloped them. "Zabuza is a master of the 'silent kill', a deadly technique that takes place without warning." He looked over his shoulder at his team. "_Don't_ let your guard down, not even for a second. If you do, you'll be dead before you know it."

Naruto nodded, dropped into a low Hung-Gar Serpent stance and unsheathed his plasma claws; his right arm out in front of him, parallel with his right leg while his left hand guarded his face. His eyes flicked back and forth from his teammates, to the foreboding mist that surrounded them. The silence in and of itself had become overwhelming. _'So much bloodlust,'_ he thought as he scanned the mist warily, his heart pounding away in his chest like a jackhammer. _'It's almost as powerful as Sabertooth's. I've fought cyborgs, alien invaders, mutant-hunting Sentinels, and psychotic super criminals. So, why is it that this one guy so terrifying?'_

"Eight points," came Zabuza's voice from somewhere in the mist, causing the hackles on the back of Naruto's neck to stand on end. "Larynx, spinal column, lungs, liver-"

"Where is that coming from?" Sakura wondered aloud, terror growing in her voice. _'It's like we're fighting the mist itself! He could be anywhere!'_

"-Jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart," the nuke-nin finished. "So many choices! Which vital, vulnerable spot shall I choose? Heh, heh, heh, heh."

_'Th-this is crazy,' _thought Sasuke in a panic, sweat beading down his neck, his eyes shifting warily from right to left. _'It feels as though one small breath, one twitch of the eye, and it'll all be over._ _If it goes on like this, I'll go __insane__!' _In his mind's eye, Sasuke had a chilling image of himself being decapitated mid-blink. It was so frighteningly realistic he had to force himself to push the vision out of his head and focus on reality.In front of him, Kakashi had triggered a massive release of his own chakra, so intense that Sasuke could actually _feel_ it bearing down on him.

_'The clash of two Jounin, both intent on killing one another, I've never felt anything so chilling. Not since that night...'_ That thought prompted another vision, only this wasn't a figment of his imagination, but a memory long since repressed. An avenue littered with bodies and horrendous gore, blood trickling steadily through the crevices in the pavement; a dark figure crouched atop a telephone pole silhouetted by the moon, its eyes burning a hellish shade of red; the unearthly silence of the night seeping into the marrow of his bones._ 'No!'_ Sasuke cried out in his mind. He pulled a kunai free from his ningu holster and raised it over his abdomen._ 'I can't take this, I'd rather-'_

"Sasuke!" Kakashi barked, startling him. "Calm down. I'll protect all of you with my life. I will not allow my comrades to die, trust me on that." Somehow, his words _did_ calm Sasuke, reassuring him of their safety.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," retorted Zabuza smugly. Suddenly, he materialized in the center of the group's formation, sword at the ready. "It's over."

Without warning, Naruto's instincts took over and he shifted his stance, whirling around to slash at Zabuza with a powerful right stroke. His attack caught Zabuza by surprise, forcing him to hastily block Naruto's claws with his sword. The energy blades left five, smoking marks that gored along the width of the Kubikiri Hocho. _'What the hell are those things?!'_ Zabuza wondered as he backpedaled to avoid another attack.

Seeing the opening Naruto had inadvertently given him, Kakashi rushed nuke-nin and plunged a kunai into his side. Much to his surprise, it wasn't blood that flowed from the wound, but water. A fraction of a second later, 'Zabuza' collapsed into a puddle of water at his feet. Before Kakashi could react, another Zabuza appeared behind him and swung his sword with all his might, effectively cleaving the Copy-nin in two. However, it was _his _turn to be surprised, as the Kakashi he struck bust into a spray of water as well. _'It can't be!'_ thought Zabuza. _'Even through the mist, he saw through my jutsu and copied it in an instant.'_

"Don't move," threatened Kakashi's voice from behind him. Zabuza flinched at the sound and felt something sharp press against his throat. A razor-edged kunai, held by none other than Kakashi himself. "Now it's over."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh," Zabuza chuckled darkly. "Finished? You really have no idea. Your technique is but a mere crass imitation, I'll never be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you. You're full of surprises though, I'll give you that; you'd already copied my Mizu Bushinn no Jutsu (Water Clone Jutsu) when you made your little speech, hiding in the mist to analyze my technique. Nice try-"

"-but I'm not that easy to fool," said the true Zabuza from behind him. Kakashi barely had time to react as the nuke-nin swung his massive blade, his clone popping into a spray of water at the same moment. He ducked under the blade, which caused it to miss him, its momentum forcing it into the ground. Kakashi rose to attempt and attack again, only to be met with a solid and powerful kick that sent him flying off into the lake. Zabuza took hold of his sword and ran to intercept Kakashi mid-flight, wrenching it out of the ground in the process. He was halfway to the lake when he spotted a number of caltrops scattered around in front of him and skirted around them. "_Makibishi_ spikes. Trying to slow me down, eh? Foolish."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled as their sensei hit the water. _'Crap, not only is this guy an expert assassin, but his strength is insane too!'_

_'I can't believe Kakashi-sensei got kicked through the air like that,' _thought Sakura, fright taking a stronger hold in her mind.

"Gah!" gasped Kakashi as he resurfaced from beneath the water. However, something wasn't right. "This isn't normal water," he observed. "It's dense, heavy."

"That's the idea, fool," Zabuza mocked as he flickered into view behind Kakashi, weaving hand seals at incredible speeds. "Suirou no Jutsu (Water Prison Jutsu)!" Immediately, the water around Kakashi surged upward on either side of him, joining together over his head to form a bubble-like prison.

_'Okay,'_ reflected Kakashi. _'Escaping to the water, __big__ mistake.'_

"This prison is made of water, but it's as strong as steel," explained Zabuza haughtily. "Hard to fight when you can't move, isn't it? So much of the great Kakashi Hatake. I'll finish you off later, but your little friends have to be eliminated." The nuke-nin made one-handed ram seal, and a new Mizu Bushinn materialized from the water, striding towards Team 7 and Tazuna with a murderous look in its eyes.

"You think that wearing a hitai-ite makes you a ninja?" the clone said. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it ceases to faze you, then you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly that your profile is listed in _my_ Bingo Book, then you may have earned the title 'ninja'. But, to call upstarts like you ninja is a joke." Before their very eyes, the clone vanished into the mist. Then, in an instant, it reappeared in front of Naruto and delivered a powerful kick to his head that sent him flying backwards, knocking his hitai-ite clean off in the process. "You're just _brats_," the clone hissed, stepping on the headband as it did.

"Everyone," Kakashi yelled at his team, his voice slightly distorted from behind the wall of water, "take Tazuna and run. He's using all of his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only engage you with his Mizu Bushinn, but it can't stray far from its' real body. If you leave here, he can't follow you, now _run!_"

_'Run away, no,'_ mused Sasuke, trying to overcome his growing sense of paranoia,_ 'that became unthinkable the moment you got caught. It doesn't matter how far we go, he'll wipe us out. In the end, if we're on our own we're done for. Our only chance of survival is to rescue you.'_

Acting on sheer impulse, Sasuke ran at the clone head-on, cutting loose with a volley of shuriken as he went. The Zabuza bushinn whipped out its sword and easily deflected the shuriken as though they were nothing but a swarm of gnats. It was then that it noticed a chakra signature directly above it and looked up just in time to see Sasuke bearing down on it, a kunai poised high over his head. The blow never connected however, as the clone lashed out with its right hand and had Sasuke by the throat in the time it took him to blink

"Heh, pathetic," the bushinn sneered arrogantly. With that, he effortlessly tossed Sasuke aside like a sack of flour, sending him crashing into the ground in front of Team 7 and Tazuna.

"Sasuke-kun, no!!" screamed Sakura in horror, rushing to her crush's side.

By this time, Naruto had managed to shake off the effects of the bushinn's kick and sat up in time to see Sasuke get sent flying. _'That idiot!' _he thought. _'What was he thinking? There's no way we can take him one-on-one like that. We've got to- ARGH!" _A sudden wave of pain shot through his left arm as he tried to push himself to his feet. He looked down at his bandaged hand, the gauze serving as a reminder of his oath that he'd made yesterday. _'That's right, I made a promise. And if we want to get through this guy, we've got to quit acting like a bunch of kids, and start thinking like a team instead. First things first though...'_ All of a sudden, Naruto charged the Mizu Bushinn with incredible speed, bellowing in rage as he went.

"AHHH! Naruto, what the heck are you doing?!" yelled Sakura in disbelief, pulling at her hair in response to the tension. Beside her, Sasuke looked on in confusion. Just what _was_ Naruto going?

"What? Naruto, no!" warned Kakashi from his position inside the water prison.

"Heh, little fool," scoffed the clone haughtily. As soon as the young X-Man reached him, 'Zabuza' sent him flying backwards with another, crippling kick. He flew for several feet, before landing and skidding to a stop directly in front of Sakura.

"What're you think charging at him by yourself, baka?!" she asked as she knelt down to his level. "We're only Genin, we don't have a chance against a Jounin, and even Sasuke couldn't touch him! What did you think you'd accomplish by that?!" At that moment, Naruto slowly began to stand, wincing in obvious pain. It was then that Sakura noticed something in his left hand that wasn't there a second ago, his hitai-ite that 'Zabuza' had knocked off. _'The headband?' _she thought, a bit perplexed. _'That's what he wanted?'_

"Hey you," said Naruto, cracking his neck audibly as he got to his feet, "the freak with no eyebrows. Put _this _in your damn Bingo Book, bub: The shinobi who will become Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, he never backs down." Naruto emphasized this by cinching on his hitai-ite tightly. "His name's Naruto Uzumaki-Howlett and he's the best at what he does!"

'_Heh, and I thought he was all talk,'_ Tazuna observed from his position behind Sakura and Sasuke. _'This kid's got some guts after all.'_

"Alright Sasuke, listen up," said Naruto, flicking out his plasma claws as he spoke. "I've got a plan for how we can beat this guy."

_'Oh, __now__ he's got a plan?' _thought the Uchiha sarcastically. "Okay, let's hear it."

Out on the surface of the lake, Zabuza watched them as Naruto explained his plan, none of which he or his clone could hear at such a distance. _'That little brat with the claws is a persistent one,'_ he thought as he observed them silently.

"Okay gang," said Naruto as he finished explaining his plan and turned back to face his opponents. He then slammed his fist against his opposing hand and activated his clothes' Unstable Molocules, changing them into his X.S.E uniform as he had during the Bell Test. "Now, let's go wild!"

"Heh," smirked Zabuza, "pretty big talk from such a little man."

"What are you going, I told you to run!" Kakashi shouted at them desperately. "This fight was over the moment I got caught, now take off! Your mission isn't to prove how brave you are, it's to save Tazuna!"

Tazuna looked at the kids in front of him for a moment. All three of them were putting their lives on the line for him, even after _he'd_ gotten them into this mess in the first place. Somehow, he knew that these kids would win no matter what. Sensing his gaze, Naruto and Sasuke looked back at him over their shoulders, wondering what he would say. "This all happened because of me," said the bridge builder after a moment, "because of my desire to live, but I won't let that stand in your way. Forget about me, do what you have to do to save your sensei."

Naruto nodded in compliance and turned back to face his opponent. "Alright, you ready Sasuke?"

"Ready when you are, dobe," responded the Uchiha heir.

At that moment, Zabuza began laughing maniacally and uncontrollably, which caught their attention. "You really haven't learned anything, have you?" he finally asked a mocking tone in his voice. "Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja." All of a sudden, the Zabuza bushinn flickered into view in front of Sasuke and elbowed him hard in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. It then slammed the back of its forearm into the center of Sasuke's back, sending him crashing face-first into the ground. "Heh, you're a joke," it scoffed, kicking the Uchiha heir in the ribs as it took hold of it's sword to finish him off.

"Hold it right there!" Naruto yelled, forming a hand seal with his clawed hands. "Kage Bushinn no Jutsu!" Instantaneously, fifteen shadow clones appeared and tackled the Zabuza bushinn, forcing it to focus on him instead of Sasuke. Once Sasuke was safe, Naruto and his clones dog piled the Mizu bushinn, attempting to bury it under a mass of bodies. But, this clone was no push over. With an angry roar and a swing of its massive sword, it hurled the clones and Naruto through the air with incredible force, causing all of the kage-bushinn to dispel. Naruto managed to right himself midair and produced a series of folded blades from his backpack. "Yo teme, heads up!" he shouted, landing in a crouch and tossing the blades at Sasuke, who caught them one-handed.

Sasuke grinned at Naruto in approval and unfolded the blades in the blink of an eye, causing them to form a massive fuma shuriken. He brought the shuriken's blades to eye-level and glared over them at the nuke-nin. "_Akki Kaze Shuriken, Fuusha no Kage_ (Demon Wind Shuriken, Windmill of Shadows)!" he hissed ominously. He vanished for a second, then flickered into view high above his team and launched the shuriken at the bushinn with all his might. However, just before it struck the clone, it veered around it and shot straight for the real Zabuza.

"Heh, so you bypass the bushinn and aim for my real body," smirked Zabuza. "Smart, but not smart enough." With his free hand, he reached out plucked the whirling metallic fan out of the air, spinning it mockingly around his index and middle fingers. Sadly, his moment of triumph didn't last long, as he noticed a second shuriken closing in on him with surprising speed. _'Clever, using the Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Shadow Shuriken Jutsu) to deceive me.'_ Just as the spinning projectile neared him, Zabuza jumped in place, allowing the shuriken to pass harmlessly beneath him. "Ha! You brats will never get the best of me, especially with a shurike- WHAT?!"

Much to the surprise of both Zabuza and Kakashi, the shuriken disappeared in a puff of smoke a few yards away from him, revealing Naruto in its place, still flying backwards with all ten of his claws leveled at nuke-nin. "Take this," proclaimed the young X-Man, _**"Gatling Claw!" **_With that idiom as his opponent's only warning, Naruto loosed a huge barrage of plasma claws at Zabuza, one after another in rapid succession until there were roughly 40 of them flying his way. Just as the glowing blades were almost upon him, Zabuza yanked his arm free of the water prison that held Kakashi and leapt aside to avoid them, his bushinn dispelling as he did so. Two of the claws found their mark however: one carved a long, jagged groove along the metal of his hitai-ite; the other sliced a deep cut underneath his right eye that would most likely scar.

"I'll destroy you!" the nuke-nin roared as he charged Naruto, the shuriken he had caught moments ago spinning like a miniature helicopter in his left hand. Only moments away from killing the blonde, Zabuza found his weapon stopped short by a very wet and _very_ angry Kakashi. His sensei's intervention bought Naruto enough time to teleport back to shore in a burst of inky black smoke. _Bamf!_

"Alright!" Naruto shouted excitedly as he reappeared next to Sasuke. "I think we just reinvented my dad's Fastball Special, Konoha style!"

"Not bad dobe," replied Sasuke with a smirk, "not bad at all."

"Nicely done you two," said Kakashi as he wrenched the shuriken free from Zabuza's grasp and tossed it away. "That was an excellent plan."

Cursing himself for being so careless as to set Kakashi free, Zabuza leapt back a ways and began to weave an intricate and complex series of hand seal. Kakashi did the same, his hands moving at the same blinding speed, yet never failing to perform the correct seal as his opponent continued formulating his jutsu. After fifty some hand seals, both Jounin finished on the bird seal and immediately, the water around them began to foam and churn violently. On the shore, Team 7 and Tazuna looked on in awe as a large dragon made of water appeared behind both combatants.

"Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu)!" they both shouted, their creations rushing at one another viciously. In an incredible explosion of water, both dragons collided with each other and dispersed, showering the surrounding area in a refreshing drizzle.

'_Wow, so many hand seals and he mirrored them all perfectly,'_ mused Naruto in amazement. _'So this is the power of the Sharingan.'_

Growing even more enraged at the ease at which Kakashi was able to mimic his jutsu, Zabuza rushed the Copy-nin and brought his sword down on him, only to have it blocked by his opponent's kunai. Both of them glared at one another for a moment, each straining behind their blades to gain the upper hand. Then they pushed off their opponent's blade and backed off a distance, circling each other like two lions. It was then that Zabuza saw it: when he stopped, Kakashi also stopped. When he attempted to use his Kiri Gakure no Jutsu, so did Kakashi. _'My movements,'_ he realized as he slowly formed another seal, watching Kakashi do the same. _'It's as if... as if he knows what I'm-'_

"-Going to do next?" Kakashi said, finishing his opponent's 'secret thoughts'.

_'What?!'_ thought Zabuza in surprise. Was he reading his mind as well? Perplexed, the nuke-nin formed another seal. Again, Kakashi did the same thing, at the same time. _'He looks at me with that eye...'_

"It makes you furious, doesn't it?" mocked the silver-haired Jounin.

"Heh, all you're going is copying me like a monkey."

**"You can't beat me with cheap tricks!"** growled both Jounin in unison. **"I'll crush you!"**

Unable to think clearly through his anger, Zabuza began going through a series of seals for one of his more potent water jutsu. Half way through the formula, he looked up at Kakashi to see him doing the same, only there was something different this time. Standing directly behind the Copy-nin was-

_'Th-that's me!' _he exclaimed mentally as he saw what appeared to be himself standing behind Kakashi. _'But how, is it a genjutsu?!'_

As he stood there, unmoving and dumbfounded, Kakashi continued performing the seals for the jutsu Zabuza had begun, the _tome_ of his Sharingan eye spinning wildly. The effect was nigh hypnotic, he couldn't break the Copy-nin's gaze! "Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu)!" Kakashi shouted, completing the jutsu. In the air before him, a swirling vortex formed, about the size of a small elephant. Without warning, it shot out with incredible speed, bearing down on a very surprised Zabuza.

"WHAT?! Impossible!" protested the nuke-nin, seconds before he was struck by the wall of water. It carried him for half a mile before slamming him into a sturdy tree. The effects of the jutsu had not only sent Zabuza reeling, but also submerged the surrounding area around the two in five feet of water. As the water level began to recede a moment later, Zabuza attempted to stand, coughing as he did so. Adding to his already full day of surprises, five kunai stuck him in the chest, knocking him back against the tree. It was then that he noticed that Kakashi had teleported to a branch above him, another kunai at the ready. "H-how?" coughed Zabuza. "Can you... see into the future?"

"Yes," replied Kakashi coolly. "You're going to die."

Suddenly, before Kakashi could say another word, a pair of senbon shot out of trees and buried themselves into the back of Zabuza's neck. Amazed and caught off guard, Kakashi and Team 7 turned to were the needles had originated from. They were greeted by the sight of what appeared to be a young ninja standing on a nearby tree branch, garbed in a blue and green gi and sea green pants, his face hidden behind a mask that bore the same symbol as Zabuza's hitai-ite.

"You were right," he said behind his mask. "He did die."

Intrigued, Kakashi leapt down from his perch and placed his fingers on the side of Zabuza's neck. There was no pulse whatsoever. _'He really __is__ dead.'_

"Thank you very much," said the ninja with a deep bow. "I have been trailing Zabuza for weeks, waiting from an opportune moment to strike and kill him."

"That mask...," said Naruto thoughtfully, willing his costume back to its civilian form. "If memory serves, that makes you a hunter-nin from Kirigakure no Sato, right?"

"Your memory serves you well," replied the hunter-nin gently, a hint of a smile in his voice.

_'Hmm,'_ thought Kakashi in curiosity. _'From his height and voice, he's about the same age as Naruto and the others. How is it that a thirteen-year-old was able to become a member of the Kirigakure no Sato Assassination Corps? He's no ordinary kid.'_

As everyone continued to stare at the hunter-nin silently, Sasuke gave the newcomer a sidelong glare. Something about this ninja wasn't quite right. Ignoring Sasuke's gaze altogether, the masked ninja silently vanished in a icy cold whirlwind of leaves and reappeared next to Zabuza's body. With a show of surprising strength for his small stature, he hefted the nuke-nin's unmoving frame over his shoulder and turned to leave.

"Thank you again for your assistance," he said. "I must leave now to properly dispose of this corpse. Excuse me." And with that, the mysterious ninja and Zabuza's body disappeared from sight.

"Whew," Kakashi sighed, moving his hitai-ite back to its original spot over his eye, "I'm glad that's over."

"Now that was interesting," said Tazuna as the fog began to clear. "Never expected that to happen."

"I don't think anyone did," replied Sakura.

"Anyhow, good job you three," Kakashi beamed at his students. "You did an exceptional job in both engaging the enemy and protecting Tazuna. That was an impressive display of teamwork. Now that our unexpected guest is no longer with us, we should be on our way." With that, the Copy-nin yawned and promptly collapsed on the forest floor.

"Kakashi-sensei!" exclaimed the kids as they rushed to their teacher's side.

"Give me some room," Sakura told the boys as she looked over her sensei's vitals. As a kunoichi, she had not yet learned any medical ninjutsu, but she still knew a thing or two when it came to medicine in general. A few seconds later, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the others. "He's alright, just suffering from chakra exhaustion and physical exhaustion as well. All he needs is some rest and he'll be back on his feet in a few days."

"Okay, we'd better get Tazuna home," Sasuke reasoned as he stood. "Naruto, can you and some of your clones help carry Kakashi while Sakura and I guard Tazuna?"

"Heh, I can do you one better, teme," replied Naruto, performing another Kage Bushinn no Jutsu. Two clones appeared in a puff of smoke and propped the unconscious Jounin between them, supporting him with their shoulders. "This way all three of us can protect Tazuna without having to worry about who's looking after Kakashi-sensei."

"Fair enough," agreed the Uchiha heir, turning his attention to their client. "Alright Tazuna-san, lead the way."

_'Hmp, I guess these kids aren't half bad after all, especially the blonde and the moody one,'_ Tazuna thought contently. "Okay, let's go. We've only got five miles until we reach my daughter's house." With that, the group continued on their way, only this time more observant.

**

* * *

**A couple of hours later, Kakashi awoke to find himself underneath some blankets in someone's house. _'Ugh,'_ he groaned. _'My head feels worse than it does after listening to Gai ramble about 'youth'. That man needs so serious help.'_

"Are you alright?"

Kakashi looked up to see that the voice had come from a fairly attractive woman, who seemed to be in her twenties, with dark hair kneeling beside him. "I'm fine," he replied weakly. "My name is Kakashi by the way."

"I am Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. My father told me about all that happened and I cannot thank you and your students enough for keeping him safe." She bowed to him respectfully as she spoke.

"We are happy to help," Kakashi said humbly. "Could you tell me where my students are now?"

"Look no further Kakashi-sensei," said Naruto off to his left. Beside the young X-Man sat Sakura and Sasuke, both of whom were still in one piece, much to his relief. At the foot of the _tatami_ mat he lay on was Tazuna, who was also in good health. "It'll take more than some Hydro-Man wannabe to take us down," continued the blonde, "you can believe that."

"How are you feeling, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura, her voice brimming with concern.

"As well as can be expected," the Copy-nin replied with a sigh. "It'll probably take me a few days to recover, but when I'm a little stronger, I have a special training regiment that you three will need to practice. Until then, you should focus on getting to know the layout of the area, the town, and the bridge as well, just to be safe."

"Gotcha," nodded Sasuke. Naruto and Sakura agreed as well. Until Kakashi was better, familiarizing themselves with their surroundings would help them have more of an edge up on their opponents if the time ever came. As he laid back down and mulled over their recent battle, Kakashi thought about the Hunter-nin that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere just as he was about to kill Zabuza. It was then that the truth of the matter became clear in his mind. _'Damn it!'_ he swore mentally. _'How could I have missed that?!'_

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, what's up?" asked Naruto, having noticed the Jounin's expression.

"We had better begin your training as soon as we can," replied Kakashi grimly. "Zabuza is still alive."

"WHAT?!" shrieked his students in disbelief.

"When a Hunter-nin takes a victim's corpse, they eliminate their remains on the spot," explained the Copy-nin. "Yet, what did our masked friend do with Zabuza's body?"

"He took it with him," answered Naruto, his teacher's reasoning starting to click in his mind. "Usually, a Hunter-nin will dispose of a body on site, destroying it so thoroughly that there wouldn't be even ashes remaining."

"Exactly," Kakashi continued. "Also, if their commander required proof of their target's demise, they would take the head as it is easier to carry than the entire body." He noticed that his last statement had brought a queasy look to Sakura's face. "Another reason that Zabuza is alive is because the boy used _senbon_ needles to do him in. Normally, these needles aren't used in assassinations since they don't penetrate deeply. However, they are used in acupuncture and _shiatsu_ techniques to relax the body. The spots in Zabuza's neck where he was hit would've put him in a death-like state, one that I couldn't see through and that would render him bedridden for days."

"So that ninja was trying to save Zabuza, not kill him," Sasuke observed, rubbing at his eyes, which had started to itch again. He reached for his eye-drops and swiftly applied a bit of solution to either eye, blinking a couple of times to get it working. _'I knew there was something funny about that guy.' _

"And that means that we'll get to have a rematch with him and Zabuza sometime soon," Sakura interjected.

"Excellent," grinned Naruto, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. "I can't wait."

Before Sakura or Kakashi could respond, a young boy entered the room. Upon seeing Tazuna, his face lit up and he ran over to tackle the old man in a loving hug. "Grandpa!" the child exclaimed happily. "You're okay! I was afraid I was never gonna see you again."

Tazuna smiled warmly and returned the boy's hug. "I'm fine Inari," he reassured the boy, turning to face Team 7. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet my grandson, Inari. Inari, the fellow lying on the mat over there is Kakashi, and those are his teammates, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. They helped protect me, and they're going to stick around to help me finish the bridge and get rid of Gatou once and for all."

At hearing this, Inari looked Team 7 over with piqued interest. "You're here to fight Gatou?" he asked in a confused manner.

"Yep," Naruto nodded proudly. "All four of us have sworn to protect your grandfather with our lives, and help you guys finish the bridge for your country. I guess you could say we're being kinda heroic."

Something that Naruto had said caused the boy to send the group a hurt look, appearing to be on the verge of tears. "You're an idiot," he said coldly. "Heroes? There's no such thing! Gatou's thugs are gonna tear you guys apart."

"What'd you say?!" Naruto growled, getting to his feet with the intent of clobbering Inari. Luckily for the boy's sake, Sakura quickly put Naruto in a headlock and held him back.

"Naruto, calm down!" she reasoned, but he still kept talking.

"Listen," the blonde continued, "you're looking at someone who's just risked his neck to save your grandfather, and the next Hokage of Konohagakure! This Gatou guy doesn't have a prayer, no matter how much muscle he's got to back him up!"

"I don't care who the heck you are!" Inari shot back indignantly. "You're just gonna end up dead, just like everyone else who crosses Gatou!" With that, Inari stormed out of the room, fists clenched in frustration at his sides. As he left, he slammed both the sliding doors shut with an impressive sounding _thwack!_

"Inari!" Tsunami called after her son, but her words fell on deaf ears.

Tazuna sighed audibly and shook his head sadly. "I am truly sorry. Please, forgive my grandson's rude behavior," he asked to the group. "There are... reasons for his outburst though."

"I guess I should be used to crap like this by now," Naruto grumbled under his breath, shrugging off Sakura's hold. "Excuse me for a sec." He stood up and exited the room, hoping to catch up with Inari and try to explain (calmly this time) that they hadn't come all that way just to die. Though the boy's attitude did press his annoyance vein a bit to the red, he knew that there had to be a reason for it.

Naruto's acute sense of smell told him that Inari had run up to the second floor, most likely were his room was. Sure enough, as he reached the top of the stairs he saw a door near the end of the hallway with 'Inari' carved onto it in small characters. As he neared the door, Naruto's ears picked up a faint sound coming from within the boy's room. Gently pressing his ear to the wood, he realized that it was sobbing.

"(Sniffle) Daddy...," came Inari's heart-broken voice from behind the door. The poor kid was bawling his eyes out.

Both saddened and embarrassed at once, Naruto backed away from the door and stood there for a moment. True, he'd never lost his adopted father, and he'd never known his biological father; yet, deep down, Naruto knew exactly how Inari felt. A long time ago, he'd lost someone that close to him too, someone he'd called …_family._ Pushing those memories out of his head, he turned and headed back downstairs, deciding that it would be better to talk to Inari later on. He wasn't leaving anytime soon.

* * *

**Aw, poor Inari... No worries folks, things will turn around for this kid soon enough. Now, don't tune out just yet gang, because the next chapter will be quite a surprise for you. Get rady for the ultimate twist, as a certain shinobi finally gains their latent mutant abilities! Who will this future X-Man (or X-Woman) be, what are their abilities, and what is to become of Zabuza and Haku you ask? Stay tuned to find out!**


	7. 7 The Calm Before the Storm

**Welcome back True Believers! Summer is in full swing and the action is just begining to heat up for our young heroes. Now, I should've mentioned this before, but it had slipped my mind at the time. This story is set before the events of Avengers Disassembled and the House of M, kind of what I'd call the 'idyllic age" of Marvel, before everything got screwed up. But enough chatter, let's get back to the story. One of Team 7 is about to discover something about themselves that will change the course of history for Konohagakure! What is it you ask? Read on to find out..****

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**

**Chapter 7: Calm Before the Storm.**

The morning sun had risen just above the treetops as day broke over the Land of Waves. In their nests, a multitude of forest birds spread their wings and shook the dew from their feathers before greeting the new day in a melodious chorus of chirps and tweets. On the surface of the nearby lake, a group of frogs joined their winged friends' song with their own tune. Just out of their tongues' reach, a few dragonflies buzzed around lazily in the crisp morning air. To any nature lover, such wondrous serenity was sheer bliss. Sadly, it was to be albeit short-lived.

"Tree-climbing?!" shouted Naruto in disbelief, shattering the stillness of the morning. In a secluded section of the forest near Tazuna's home, Team 7 and their sensei had gathered to begin the 'special training' regiment that Kakashi had told them about. However, his idea of 'training' didn't really seem to sit well with the three Genin.

"That's right," nodded Kakashi, who was supported by a pair of crutches that Tsunami had lent him. This way, he could a least be mobile and train his squad while he recovered. Despite this, it was still a pain to move around.

"How would that qualify as training?" questioned Sakura inquisitively.

_'What a waste of time,'_ glowered Sasuke.

"Just hear me out you three," reasoned the silver-haired Jounin earnestly. "This won't be like ordinary tree-climbing. You won't be allowed to use your hands... at all." _Now_ he had their attention.

"Okay, but how?" asked Sakura, her interest piqued by the Copy-nin's words.

"Heh, watch and learn," returned his sensei. Kakashi then shut his eyes and formed a dual handed ram seal. Immediately, a slightly visible halo of blue chakra could be seen encompassing his feet from the ankle down. Following a moment of silence, he then proceeded to walk straight up the tree with the same ease he would stroll along the ground. He finished his performance by standing _upside down_ on a tree branch. "And, that's it in a nutshell."

"Okay, now _that's_ cool," said Naruto in amazement._ 'It's like watching Spidey climb walls back in New York. This is gonna be awesome!!_

"Focus all of the energy of your chakra into the soles of your feet and use that power to climb up the trunk," Kakashi explained as he looked down at his students from his precarious perch. "This is the kind of thing you can accomplish once you have mastery over your own chakra."

"But, Kakashi-sensei, how will climbing trees help us get stronger?" asked Sakura.

"I was just getting to that," commented the Jounin in question. "The point of this exercise is to gain greater mastery over your own chakra. To use no more than is necessary, yet maximize its effectiveness in where and how it is applied. The subtle control is the most critical aspect of every jutsu and technique you'll ever apply. It's also the most difficult skill for even a superior shinobi to master. The type of tree-climbing you'll be doing requires the most fine and delicate application of chakra imaginable, especially since the bottom of the foot is the most difficult spot to manipulate one's energies. Basically, once you master control, no jutsu should be beyond you... in theory."

Upon hearing that last statement, Naruto's eyes lit up in excitement. If what Kakashi was saying was true, then he could be able to master any of his biological father's techniques he'd read about in his family's library. He'd had his heart set on learning Minato's signature move, Hirashin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Jutsu), for quite a while and this training could bring him that much closer to it.

"The secondary objective of this exercise," Kakashi continued, "is to build up enough stamina necessary to complete your task once the chakra has been focused. If you think that _this_ looks hard, it's even more difficult to maintain your chakra while using ninjutsu. As you may have noticed previously, circumstances are constantly changing, and a true shinobi must be able to manipulate and maintain chakra on the fly, if he hopes to prevail. Time isn't a luxury you'll always have. So, while you're climbing trees, you'll be learning skills that may save your lives some day. But, enough talking, the only way to learn is by doing."

On that note, a pair of kunai flew from his hands and impaled themselves into the ground in front of Sasuke and Sakura. "Use those kunai to score a mark at the highest point you climb to, Naruto can use his claws to do the same. Your goal is to make a mark on a higher spot each try until you reach the top. Choose your trees and begin when you are ready."

Nodding in acknowledgement, Naruto followed his team's lead and formed the same seal that Kakashi had a moment ago, shutting his eyes in concentration. A second later, a halo of blue chakra appeared around his feet, causing the surrounding grass to bend from the force of the release as though brushed by a gentle breeze. Unsheathing his plasma claws, he took a running start at the tree and attempted to ascend. He managed to plant both his feet against the bark before falling flat on his back. A second later, he heard an imposing _crunch!_ off to his left and turned to see Sasuke rebound off his tree, a deep impression of his foot remaining in the bark about a foot or two from the ground. _'This is harder than it looks,'_ thought Naruto as he got to his feet and looked up at his own tree. _'Apply too little force and I won't adhere at all. Apply too much and I'll get the same result as Sasuke. I've got to stay focused if I want to get this down!'_

"Hey, this is easier than I thought," giggled Sakura from a branch halfway up her tree. She was sitting there, swinging her legs back and forth lazily with an almost impish smile on her face. Down below, Sasuke smirked slightly.

"Well, now we know which of you three has the best chakra control," said Kakashi, who was still hanging upside-down.

_'Whoa, Sakura's good,'_ thought Naruto as he watched her leap nimbly to the ground. He was just about to attempt another ascent when he noticed something peculiar. As Sakura landed, a burst of gleaming, golden orbs, barely visible to the naked eye, discharged from the soles of her feet in a small arc and then vanished. For a second, Naruto stood there in unblinking disbelief. _'What was __that__?! How did she...?'_

Sakura simply stood there and smiled at the group, who still regarded her with amazement. Though only Naruto had seen the energy orbs, both Kakashi and Sasuke were quite impressed by her chakra control to say the least. "Well," began Kakashi, "comprehending the use of one's own chakra and manipulating it successfully is quite and achievement. Of the three of you, so far I'd say that Sakura is the closest to overtaking Sandaime-sama. But, Naruto and Sasuke, you two aren't that far off. Let's train for a few more hours then break for lunch, how's that sound?"

"Fine by me," Naruto grinned as he got to his feet and readied himself for another attempt. Out of the corner of his eye, he took one last glance at Sakura before breaking into a fast run towards his tree. _'I'll talk to her about it when we get a break. She probably has no clue about it anyhow. Until then, I'll focus on giving Sasuke-teme a run for his money!'_

And so he did. Three hours later, all three members of Team 7 were slumped at the base of their respective trees in exhaustion. Sakura had gained the most ground out of them, making it to the apex of her tree each time she ascended. Sasuke and Naruto were still lagging behind though, having both made it to about a third of the way up the tree. Needless to say, all of them were more than elated when Kakashi called for their lunch break. Just as they headed back to Tazuna's home, Naruto called Sakura back. "Hey, Sakura," he said, keeping his voice low to ensure Kakashi and Sasuke couldn't hear him. "Could you help me get the hang of this?"

"Ugh, you're hopeless," Sakura exclaimed. "Okay, it takes a lot of mental energy to generate and manipulate chakra, so getting stressed or distracted is out of the question. You need to take it easy, relax, and focus on the tree until you can feel exactly how little or how much chakra you'll need to center in the soles of your feet. Here, let me show you."

She took a step towards a nearby tree and shut her eyes in concentration. As she did so, a halo of energy appeared around her feet as before, but it was different than other chakra signatures. The energy was golden and, after a moment, it began to fluctuate and expel the same glistening orb-like masses Naruto had seen before. Before his very eyes, the orbs began to flash and blink as if they were fireflies on a summer's eve. A second later, Sakura sensed his gaze and broke her concentration. "What?" she asked in an irritated tone.

"Sakura, look at your feet," Naruto said. She looked to where he was pointing and gasped upon seeing what surrounded her feet. The presence of the energy startled her so much that, as she stumbled backwards, she tripped over one of the tree's roots and fell flat on her butt. Normally, she would've been embarrassed out of her mind by something like that, but the fact that her feet were glowing like they were radioactive had taken priority at the moment.

"What's happening?!" she panicked, attempting to brush off the glowing substance that encompassed her feet. "What is that?!"

"Whoa, calm down Sakura," Naruto said reassuringly. "Just take a deep breath and calm down."

Still a bit frightened by what was going on, Sakura did as she was told and tried to steady her breathing. As she did so, she saw that the energy around her feet began to dim and the orbs become less prevalent. It was in that moment that panic was lost and her own curiosity took over. She watched in mute amazement as the energy began to alter in strength and brilliance with her will. "Wow," she breathed in awe before turning to look at Naruto. "What is this stuff?"

"I-I think its beta energy," replied the blonde as he caught one of the orbs in his hands. It glowed brightly for a moment, resembling a miniature star, then fizzled and dissipated as Sakura had willed it to; at the same time, she had calmed down enough that the energy around her feet had vanished. "One of Spider-Man's friends, Cardiac, can produce it with just a wave of his hand and create concussive blasts with it. This is what it must look like in its raw, unfocused form."

"Okay, but what does this mean?" asked Sakura, growing more confused by the second.

Naruto looked up at her with a slight grin on his face. "I think it means that you're a mutant," he said proudly.

"You mean... I'm like you?" questioned the puzzled kunoichi, a look of both confusion and worry on her face.

"Sort of," reasoned the young X-Man. "Mutants are people who are born with a genetic mutation called an X-Gene, which is simply an extra strand in our DNA. This one strand causes our bodies to develop abilities that regular humans can't. Now most of the time, mutants develop these abilities during puberty. But there are others, myself included, who display them from birth. You're probably the same way too; your excellent chakra control probably just masked your abilities so that you didn't think they were anything besides that."

"So, this is a good thing, right?" Sakura asked, a hint of concern in her voice. "I mean, I'm not in any danger, am I?"

"Of course not!" Naruto said as he knelt down and his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Look, its okay to feel a little weirded out by this. I can't remember a mutant I've met who wasn't freaked out by the fact that they _were_ a mutant. It's not the end of the world. For you, this is as natural as... well, liking Sasuke-teme for example, or hating Ino-chan for that matter. It's just who you are, nothing more and nothing less."

"So, I'm still..." began Sakura, searching for the right words to say, "you know, normal?"

"As normal as the day I met you," grinned the blonde warmly. "It's just, now you know that you're a mutant. Other than that, nothing's changed at all. Look, let's head back to Tazuna's and get some lunch before Kakashi-sensei and the others get worried. I'll tell you more along the way if you have any more questions."

"... Alright," replied the pink-haired kunoichi, standing to join her friend on his walk back to Tazuna's home. Though she was still confused, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little excited. She was probably the first mutant kunoichi to ever come from her village! She also wondered what all she could do with this beta-energy stuff she could create. If what he'd aid about that Cardiac guy was true, she could do the same thing if she practiced at it. The possibilities were endless. As she fell in step next to Naruto, she began to ask him more about what Cardiac could do, and what effects that beta energy had.

_'This is great!'_ thought Naruto as he explained what he could to Sakura. _'We're one step closer to Xavier-Oij-Sama's dream. Zabuza had better watch out next time we meet up, 'cause we've got a few new tricks up our sleeve this time.'_**

* * *

****Three Days Later...**

Mid-afternoon, following yet another grueling training session, Team 7 (minus Kakashi) found themselves strolling through the nearby city with Tazuna on escort duty. Seeing as Kakashi had said they'd finished for the day, they thought they'd take in the sights; which worked out well, seeing as Tazuna had been sent to pick up some items for Tsunami. As they meandered through the crowded marketplace, the Genin looked on in sad amazement as they saw people and children sitting at the corners of the surrounding buildings in search of a handout. More than once they heard someone yell 'Stop, thief!' and saw a man run by with either a purse or billfold in his clutches.

"What is it with this town?" wondered Naruto aloud. No sooner had he said this, than he felt a tug on his arm and looked down to see a boy about Inari's age standing there with his hands out in a pleading manner. Feeling a sense of deja-vu, Naruto gave the child a handful of saltwater taffy he'd brought along and patted him on the head.

"This is the way it's been since Gatou moved in," commented Tazuna as they watched they boy leave, a content smile on his face. "We've been reduced to a city of fools and slackers. That's why the bridge is so important! It will be an emblem of courage. Maybe the people who've taken the path of least resistance will be willing to walk the road of courage and dignity again. If we can only complete it, I truly believe that our city, and our people, can be what they were once again."

_'Again, this Gatou guy gets his way,'_ brooded Naruto as the group continued on their way. _'Whether it's here, Japan, Los Angeles, New York, or Latveria, it makes no difference. There's always some Kingpin running rough shot over the little people, just to make a quick buck!'_ Just as they neared a grocery store, Naruto spotted something out of the corner of his eye that made him do a double take. What he saw was a tall man sitting at a wicker table at an outdoor cafe, a silver suitcase handcuffed to the arm of his chair. He wore a dark brown, leather trench coat, slouch hat which completely hid his face, black fingerless gloves, and black Marines-issue combat boots. Even though he couldn't see his face, Naruto knew him by his scent and grinned at the memory of the last time he'd seen the man. _'Now, what could __you__ be doing here?'_

At that moment, the rest of the group had reached the grocery store Tazuna had mentioned. "Hey dobe," called Sasuke in annoyance, "what's up? Aren't you coming?"

"I'll be there in a sec," replied Naruto with distant tone in his voice. "There's just something I want to check on is all."

"Hmph," shrugged the Uchiha as Naruto walked over to the cafe. _'They probably have a ramen special there or something.'_ Once he heard Sasuke close the door to the store, Naruto strode casually towards the man until he was standing next to the chair in front of the stranger. Noticing his presence, the man looked up to reveal a handsome, chiseled face, with a chin bristled with stubble and eyes as cold as those of Zabuza. "Well," said the man after a moment, "look who's here."

"Good to see you too," joked Naruto. He calmly sat down across from the man and stared at him intently. The figure before him returned his gaze with one that sent a chill through his spine, even though he didn't show it whatsoever. Naruto had only met this man on three separate occasions in his lifetime and each time they crossed paths, those eyes still un-nerved him to no end.

"What're you doin' here Kit?" the man asked curtly after a moment, setting aside the newspaper he'd been pretending to read earlier.

"I could ask you the same thing," answered Naruto, retaining his calm composure. "Last I checked, you don't travel out of the U.S. that much, not unless something big is going on."

The man sighed audibly at the truth of his statement and cast a cautious glance over one shoulder. "About a month ago," he began in a low, haunting voice, "one of my informants in L.A. told me that some 'sensitive' items have been shipped to someone inside the Elemental Nations. Guns, stolen tech, drugs, contraband, a few rare artifacts, even a couple of top secret documents recently stolen from Stark Industries. All of it has been shipped to one spot in the Five Nations."

"The Land of Waves."

"Exactly," continued the stranger. "Now, seeing as I couldn't get a hold of enough evidence to prove who's behind it stateside, I decided to take a little 'vacation' of sorts and come here myself to see what was on the up and up. Turns out this Gatou guy is one of _his_ contacts here. I can see why too: with an entire nation under his thumb like this, it's almost as if he's a mini-Kingpin himself."

"Don't remind me," grumbled the young X-Man angrily. Just the very mention of the crime boss sent Naruto on edge.

"Well, it ain't gonna be that way for long," growled the older man in an ominous tone, "not if I have anything to say about it."

Just as Naruto was about to comment on his friend's last statement, he saw his friends leave the grocery store. Sakura looked over to where he was and motioned for him to join them, while Sasuke simply jerked his head in their direction. "I gotta go, but listen..." He turned to say something to his friend, only to find that he was nowhere insight, as if he had vanished into thin air. _'He's good,'_ thought Naruto as he walked back towards his friends. _'I didn't even hear him get up to leave.'_

"Hey Naruto, who was that guy you were talking to?" asked Sakura quizzically.

"Heh," grinned the blonde as they walked back to Tazuna's, taking one last glance over his shoulder. "Just a friend Sakura-chan. Just an old friend."

Later that night, after Naruto and Sasuke had pushed themselves to their limits during an extra training session to try and best the other, Team 7 was seated around the dinner table in Tsunami's kitchen. For a while, the mood was quite pleasant, until Sakura asked about a picture she had seen Inari stare at throughout the entire meal. It was a family photo of Tsunami, Inari, Tazuna and one other person, whose face had been torn away. "...It was a picture of Inari's father," answered Tsunami sadly, not once looking up from the dishes she had been washing.

"Once upon a time," added Tazuna, "if you will, our entire city called him a hero." No sooner had he said this than Inari got up from the table and left the room sorrowfully, slamming the door as he left.

"Father!" Tsunami yelled at Tazuna in obvious frustration. "I've told you time and again never to mention that in front of my son!" Forgetting all about the dishes, she quickly dried her hands and went after her son. As his mother, she knew she had to try and comfort him in his sadness.

"So, what you're talking about is the reason why Inari acts the way he does?" probed Sakura as gently as she could once Tsunami had left the room.

"Yes," replied Tazuna regretfully. "His name was Kaiza, and even though he wasn't Inari's birth father, the two of them were as close and as loving as any biological father and son. He was a fisherman who came here three years ago from abroad to seek his fortune and ended up saving Inari from drowning one day, after he tried to rescue a puppy who was in a similar predicament. He was kind to Inari and told him that if something was precious to him to protect it with everything he had. From that day forward, those two were stuck to each other like white on rice. In time he became like one of the family, and a revered member of the community."

Tazuna paused for a moment, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he became lost in his memories of the good old days. Those were truly idyllic times. "But, that was before Gatou came to town."

"So... what happened?" asked Kakashi.

"In front of the entire community, Gatou had Kaiza put to death simply for speaking out against his policies and standing up for our people. Ever since then, Inari's changed, and not just him, the entire community has changed." As he listened to Tazuna's story, Naruto found himself remembering what Inari had said when he first met him. _"Heroes? There's no such thing!" _Unable to sit around doing nothing a moment longer, Naruto got up and headed for the door, almost tripping over his own feet from exhaustion on the way there.

"Don't even think about training any more today," reprimanded Kakashi firmly. "If try to work your chakra any more without resting first, you'll probably kill yourself."

"Heh, you obviously haven't had my dad as a teacher," Naruto shot back, sliding open the kitchen door. "One way or another, I'm gonna prove he's wrong. I'll show Inari that there are still heroes in this world!!"**

* * *

****Morning of the Sixth day of training...**

Naruto was taking a break from yet another long night of training. He had caught a few winks of sleep in-between his training, so he still had some energy left in him for another ascension. For the past three days, he and Sasuke had been making the most of their rivalry to push themselves harder than they ever had before. At this point, they were only a yard or so from reaching the tops of their trees. Kakashi figured that, after tonight, they would reach the top and have enough control over their chakra to attempt even the most complex of jutsu.

Right now though, Naruto was sitting at the base of his tree, enjoying the stillness of the morning while engrossed in a game of solitaire. He had brought along a pack of cards that his 'older brother' (i.e. Gambit) had given him when he was eleven, and decided to play a quick game before getting back to training. He was just about to finish a suit of hearts when he felt someone watching him and looked up to see what looked to be a fairly attractive girl about his age staring at him. She had long black hair and carried a basket full of herbs in her right hand.

"Well, hello," he said warmly, laying down his last card and shuffling his deck back into order. "Now, what's a nice girl like you doing out here all by herself? It can be pretty dangerous out here."

"I'm sorry to have disturbed you," apologized the girl in a very female voice as she brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "My name is Haku, and I've been here collecting herbs for a sick friend of mine. Although to be honest, I didn't expect to find a ninja out here." When Naruto gave her a kind of puzzled look, she stifled a giggle and pointed at his hitai-ite.

"Oh yeah," remarked the blonde in realization. "I'm a ninja from Konohagakure no Sato. I was just out here training."

"Training?" questioned Haku curiously. "What for?"

"To get stronger so that I can become the future Hokage of my village," Naruto replied. "But, at this moment, I'm doing this to prove a point to... a certain person I know."

Haku simply stared at him for a moment, the said, "So, are you doing this for the sake of that person, or for your own satisfaction?" Now, that question caught him by surprise. Seeing as he had given the blonde pause for thought, he decided to continue. "Do you have someone who is precious to you? People who are vital to your existence?"

_'Okay, what's she driving at?'_ wondered Naruto as Haku knelt down to pick up a flower she had spotted a second earlier. It was a white carnation, as pure as the fresh fallen snow. Something about the flower's shade seemed to remind Haku of something, as Naruto noticed her eyes take on a jaded, far away look.

"When we have who are truly precious to us in our lives, it is our want to protect them that drives us to become as strong as we possibly can. It forces us to break through the obstacles that stand in our way of getting stronger."

Once she had become silent once more, Naruto really thought about she had said. Looking back, there hundreds of people he could think of who were precious to him. There was his father, his family that he had in the X-Men, Sarutobi-Oij-sama, and Iruka-sensei. He also had his teammates and sensei, as well as the friends he'd made at the Academy. All of them were important to him and the idea of anything happening to them that he could stop just made him more determined to become stronger. "Yeah," he grinned widely. "I know exactly what you're talking about."

Haku smiled at him and stood up, looping the carnation into a strand of her hair. "You will get very strong indeed then," she said as she began to leave. "I know that we will meet again... so you should know, I'm a boy." With that _he_ left a rightly confused Naruto sitting puzzled beneath his tree, and promptly vanished into the forest. An icy cold wind was the only trace that he had been there at all.

Later that night...

Kakashi was quite pleased by the results of the tree-climbing exercise. Managing Sasuke and Naruto's rivalry had been quite the chore, yet it had actually worked out in their favor. As he had predicted, the two of them had pushed themselves until they had made it to the very tops of their trees before the night was out and he'd cleared them to join him on escort duty the next morning. For the moment, he was tasking himself with a series of one-fingered pushups while the rest of Tazuna's family had dinner with his team.

"So, Kakashi," began Tazuna as the Jounin reached 200 reps. "I've been meaning to ask you something. You know that I lied to you about how dangerous the mission was to get you to come here, so why do you stay?"

"'To now what is right and choose to ignore it is the act of a coward'," answered Kakashi in a serious tone. "'Like master, like man." Those are the teachings of some of our previous Lords Hokage. This is the shinobi way of life... true shinobi do not merely dance to the tune of whoever pays the piper." Though his words made sense to his team as well as Tazuna, Inari couldn't wrap his mind around them.

"Why are you all fighting so hard?!" he cried, tears forming in his eyes. "Don't you know it's pointless?! Gatou is gonna kill you and no amount of training can ever change that!"

"How do you know that Inari?" Naruto asked the boy seriously. "Can you see the future? Trust me kid, I don't plan on losing to a shortie like Gatou."

"Just watching you ticks me off!" Inari shot back. "You go running your mouth off when you don't know anything! You're always clowning around and having fun. You don't know anything about suffering or loneliness or what my life is like!"

Now _that_ stuck a nerve. "So... you think it's noble to star in a melodrama and treat everyone around you like guests at you pity party?" seethed the X-Man. "It takes a _real_ big man to sit around and cry. You big baby!" Leaving the boy to think on that, Naruto got up and left the room without even finishing his dinner.

Later, after everyone had finished eating, Kakashi found Inari sitting out near the edge of the water from the porch outback. "May I join you?" he asked the boy. When he gave no objection, the Jounin sat down next to him and began to explain his student's actions. "Sorry about Naruto's outburst earlier. He wasn't trying to be mean or hateful; he just lacks finesse is all. But, you need to understand him before you write him off like you have. In his own way, he's kind of like you are."

Inari looked up at Kakashi in both surprise and interest. How was that loud-mouthed jerk like him? "Even though he's not lost his adopted father, like you have," continued Kakashi, "he does know how it feels to lose someone precious to him: his 'aunt', Moira MacTaggart. He told me of how he used to spend seemingly endless summers on her island in Scotland, how they were the best of friends and how she was probably the closest thing he had to a real mother. Sadly, that all changed two years ago."

"What happened?" asked Inari.

"She was killed in an explosion," answered Kakashi somberly, "set off by a terrorist named Mystique, simply because she was an ally of the X-Men. Her death shook Naruto to his core, and even though it killed him inside, he never let it stop him. He kept on striving forward so that he could make sure that what happened to her never happens to anyone else he cares about. What he told you in there is probably the same thing he's had to tell himself time and again, when the pain and pressures of life become too much for him to bear. Try and remember that the next time you talk to him." As Kakashi got up and left the boy to his thoughts, he could tell that Inari was seriously thinking about what he'd said.**

* * *

****The Following Morning...**

Sasuke cast a glance back at the forest as he, Kakashi, Sakura, and Tazuna continued on their way to the bridge. They had left Naruto back at the house, not wanting to wake him since he'd pushed himself the most over the past few days. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Sasuke was starting to warm up to the idea of working with Naruto. He was the kind of person who would push him harder than ever before, and that would help him get stronger for when the time came to face _him_.

However, all of those thoughts vanished once they'd reached the bridge. No sooner had they set foot in the construction site than it became apparent that they were in for a long, bloody day. All around them, Tazuna's fellow workers were lying on the ground either dead or beaten to a bloody pulp. Their equipment was slashed and shredded to ribbons, as if attacked by some giant beast. Crane controls were impaled by kunai, power boxes sparking from their slashed and exposed wiring, and sheets of metal bent clean in half. Ignoring the destruction that surrounded him, Tazuna ran over to one of his fallen workers and helped him up to a sitting position. The man was badly injured, with senbon needles sticking out of pressure points on his arms and legs, and blood streaming down his chin from where it had pooled in his mouth.

"Giichi!" Tazuna managed to say, trying to bring the man around. "What happened?! What could've done this?!"

"M-m-monsters..." Giichi managed to blurt out before slipping back into unconsciousness. As they rested him against a nearby wall, a thick mist rolled into the area.

_'No doubt about it,'_ Kakashi glowered as he readied himself, _'this is __his__ Kirigakure no Jutsu. So, I was right; he is alive and he's returned to finish things.'_ He looked to his right and saw that Sasuke and Sakura had already taken up their defensive positions at Tazuna's side, each with a kunai at the ready. "Get ready everyone!" he ordered as he joined them. "This is it!"

Sakura nodded and began to scan the mist for any sign of movement. _'Should I try and use my powers?' _she wondered as she glanced at her friends warily, Sasuke in particular. The more she thought about it, the more conflicted she became about using her newfound abilities. _'I haven't told them anything yet, but I have to do something! I can't be useless again like last time! No way!'_

While Sakura tried to decide what she should do, Sasuke was dealing with something completely different. His eyes were acting up again, but it was different than the last time when they had started itching. They weren't itchy at all, they were _burning_. But the thing was, it wasn't painful at all; if anything, it was invigorating, intoxicating even! The sensation began at his eyes, and began to slowly spread throughout his entire body, filling him with a feeling of invincibility that left him shaking visibly. Could this be what power felt like? Well, whatever this was, he liked it! He liked it a lot!

"It's been a while, Kakashi," snarled Zabuza's voice from within the mist. "I see you've got those brats tagging along, just like last time. And yet again, the little boy is trembling like a leaf in a hurricane, poor thing..." It was then that six Zabuza's appeared around the group, crouched low with their hands at their swords, ready to hack them to pieces. As coolly as ever, Kakashi looked over at Sasuke and smiled, nodding slightly at the boy as if to say, _"go ahead, they're all yours"._

Sasuke grinned at his sensei in satisfaction and promptly vanished into thin air. Suddenly, each of the Mizu bushinn that surrounded Team 7 and Tazuna were assaulted by some unseen force. Over and over, they were hacked and slashed at until they looked as though they'd just been through a giant cheese-grater. They fell heavily to the ground, like a pile of useless, broken toys. A second later, Sasuke reappeared in the spot were he'd been before the maelstrom of blades had begun, the clones evaporating into a ring of water as he did so.

"I'm trembling with... excitement!" he smirked. At that moment, Zabuza stepped out of the mist, followed by his Hunter-nin accomplice. The nuke-nin's gaze, which radiated murderous intent, was fixed solely on Kakashi, while his masked assistant's own calm stare was latched firmly onto Sasuke. As he stared at the boy, the Hunter-nin saw something that caused him great concern. When the Uchiha heir narrowed his eyes at him menacingly, they began to glow an unearthly crimson, as if they were the very eyes of a demon made flesh.

_'This boy...,'_ Haku wondered in amazement, from behind his mask._ 'What in the world is he?!'_

* * *

**Whoa! Looks like things are starting to get even more interesting for Team 7! Now don't tune out just yet True Believers. Sakura may have discovered her mutant powers, but as you can see, Sasuke isn't to far behind her. But will his new abilities be enough to combat those of the Hunter-nin Haku? Could Haku have some secrets of his own that he's hiding? Who is this mysterious figure that Naruto met with and is he friend or foe? Stay tuned to find out, and remember to R&R! (Also, if you're wondering who Cardiac is, he is Wiki-able so you can check him out if you like and learn more about his powers)**


	8. 8 The Coming of Winter

**Welcome back True Believers! When we last left Team 7, they were just about to face off against the nuke-nin Zabuza and his mysterious accomplice Haku. However, something seems to be happening to Sasuke that may help turn the tide again these two mercenaries. Could it be that his latent X-Gene is finally becoming active? There's only one way to find out, on with the fanfic...**

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Coming of Winter.**

"Well now," Zabuza grinned as he and Haku faced their opponents, seemingly unfazed by the swift and brutal destruction of his clones. "He was able to best my Mizu Bushinn on his own this time. It looks as if the brat has matured into a worthy rival, eh, Haku?"

Haku was silent for a moment, still staring at Sasuke's inhuman, glowing eyes. They seemed to be boring right _through_ him and into his very soul! Something inside them spoke of a lust for power and vengeance that was so overpowering; it took all of his nerve not to shrink back from their gaze. Silently cursing himself for being so foolish as to lose focus, he shook off any wary feelings he had and set his mind to the task at hand. "Indeed," he finally replied.

"This one's mine," Sasuke growled in annoyance. The sudden surge of power he'd just experienced had cranked up his confidence to near insane levels. He wasn't sure what to make of this power, if it was his Sharingan activating or what. All he knew was that he felt as if he could take on the Kami themselves and pull Heaven from it's foundations on a whim!

"Heh, why don't you go and oblige the brat, Haku?" preened Zabuza as he cast a side-long glance at his accomplice. His beef with the Copy-nin could wait for a while. Right now, he figured he'd have some fun as he watched Haku put the black-haired brat in his proper place.

"Of course, Zabuza-sama," Haku complied before vanishing in an icy whirlwind. Sasuke immediately turned in his defensive stance and brought his kunai to bear just as the masked ninja materialized before him, a senbon clutched firmly in his grasp and directed at the boy's sternum. The two bladed weapons struck each other with a loud _clang!_ that echoed and reverberated off the surrounding metal of the bridge. That sound was just the first of many that would be heard as their battle began.**

* * *

**

**Meanwhile, at Tazuna's home...**

Inari sat quietly in his room with his window open to the sea, still reflecting on what Kakashi had told him about Naruto the night before. The blonde shinobi had bolted out the door as soon as he was awake and dressed. Seeing as he'd been late for his team's mission today, he was going to have to sprint hard to catch up with them. His thoughts concerning the X-Man were suddenly shattered and forgotten as his mother's frightened scream reached his unsuspecting ears. Without a second thought, he rushed down the stairs to the kitchen where his mother had been merrily preparing breakfast. Upon arrival, he saw two of Gatou's burly samurai bodyguards towering over his mother. "Mama!" he yelled in fright, drawing the men's attention upon himself.

"What'da you want, brat?" growled the one with an eye patch, whose name was Waraji. The man gave off so much killer intent that it was almost nauseating! Inari had his doubts that the man was even remotely sane the second he laid eyes on him.

"Inari, run!" shouted Tsunami protectively.

"Should we grab him too?" Waraji asked his partner, Zouri.

"We only need one hostage," reasoned the hatted samurai coldly. When he heard this, Inari's heart immediately leapt into his throat.

"Heh-heh, too bad for you, kid," Waraji grinned menacingly as he unsheathed his katana, its bladed edge glistening in the light. Inari, frightened out of his mind, backed up a ways until he hit a wall. There was nowhere else to run. Unable to do much of anything else, he let out a slight whimper that caused the pirate-looking samurai to snicker in amusement.

"Wait!" Tsunami commanded with ferocity, causing Waraji to stop short of slaying Inari. The woman now had an enraged look in her eyes as she glared at him. "If you dare to touch my child, I swear that I'll bite through my tongue and drown in my own blood! Then, what will you do for a live hostage?!"

After a moment of unbearable silence, Zouri nodded to his slash-happy partner and the one-eyed man returned his katana to its scabbard, though he didn't look too happy about it. He'd been itching to cut someone today, and just as it seemed he'd get his chance, this had to happen! Just his luck! "Be grateful to yer ma, kiddo," he sneered as he grabbed Tsunami by the arm and hauled her to her feet. As they roughly led his mother out of the house, Inari sank to the floor in shame and sadness.

_'I'm sorry mama,'_ he thought as he began to cry. _'I'm so sorry. I'm a weak, little crybaby... I can't save you... and I'm afraid! I don't wanna die!'_ As he sat there, shivering and bawling his eyes out, he wondered what was going to happen to him. Then, his mind turned to the words of his father, as well as those of Naruto and Kakashi. Words about protecting that which was most precious to him with all of his might. In that moment, he knew that they were all right and that he had to do something.

"Wait!" he called after them as he bolted out the door and onto the patio.

"Heh, looks like the brat came back," chortled Waraji in amusement, tightening his grip on Tsunami's arm as the boy came into view.

"Y-you let go of my mama right now!" Inari yelled angrily as he charged the two samurai, prepared to let them have it even if they _did_ kill him. As he drew closer, Zouri and Waraji decided they'd had enough of him and drew their katana to end the boy's interference once and for all. Just as he reached them, they brought the blades down with incredible strength, expecting to cleave the Inari in two. Much to their surprise, however, their blades only tore through a well placed log that had appeared in the spot were Inari had been only seconds ago.

"A _kawarimi!_" Zouri exclaimed in disbelief.

"Sorry I'm late," came a voice from behind them. Instinctively both assassins wheeled around to see a blonde-haired kid in a weird red and black combat uniform standing over Tsunami, who had fainted from fright, with Inari at his side. Apparently, it was Inari that the kid had apologized to. "Good job distracting them Inari," Naruto smiled, ruffling the boy's hair, seeing as his hat had fallen off during the scuffle. "While they were focused on you, I was able to rescue your mom."

"Naruto!" Inari exclaimed in relief. "How did you know they were coming?"

"Simple," answered Naruto matter-of-factly. "While I was on my way to the bridge, I saw a bunch of trees had been slashed by something really sharp, as well as a dead boar with similar injuries." Upon hearing this, Zouri shot Waraji an enraged scowl. His partner's impulsive need to slash things had given them away, the idiotic fool! "Now then," the blonde continued as he got to his feet and stepped between his friends and the two thugs, "these two have a lot to answer for."

"Heh, what're you gonna do, kid?" Waraji snarled as he rushed the blonde, Zouri following suit.

"Just this," Naruto smirked, dropping into a firing crouch. He leveled his hands at the charging samurai and shot eight of his claws at them. Expertly aimed, the plasma blades buried themselves deep into both of their hands just as they reached to draw their blades once more. The two assassins fell to their knees, howling in pain as they clutched their now useless digits, smoke wafting from where the blades were burning away their skin and into their bones. A second later, Naruto flickered into view behind them and quickly dispatched them. Waraji he felled with a solid roundhouse kick to the temple, Zouri was unceremoniously hefted from the floor by the collar of his jacket and then violently shoulder-slammed into a wall. Both thugs crumpled to the floor in a broken heap.

"Whoa," marveled Inari. Naruto had just taken down two of Gatou's thugs like they were nothing! "That was amazing."

"That was nothing," Naruto replied as he stripped the men of their swords and tied them up with a few lengths of tetsugen wire. "They had it coming. Anyhow, I just wanted to say... I'm sorry. You're not a baby Inari. You really are a strong boy."

Hearing Naruto say those words... it was like nothing Inari had even felt before. He couldn't help it and started to cry again, not because he was sad, but because he was happy. "Oh no!" he sniffled as he tried to wipe his eyes. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry... Now you'll just make fun of me again..."

"No way!" Naruto said sincerely. Inari looked up at him in surprise. Naruto's eyes had a kind of far away look in them, like he was remembering something like this that had happened to him before too. "There's nothing wrong with crying when you're happy... Hey, I've gotta head for the bridge; my friends will probably need my help. Can you handle things here?"

"Sure thing Naruto!" Inari assured him, wiping his eyes and giving him a thumbs up. Naruto smiled warmly at the boy and returned the gesture, then promptly vanished from sight. As he bounded through the tree tops at a break-neck pace, he took a second to look over his shoulder at the Tazuna house.

_'Heh, this hero thing is hard work,'_ he smiled as he ran. _'But, it's all worth it in the end.'_**

* * *

**

Unknown to Naruto, another figure had seen his dust-up with the two samurai. It was the man that Naruto had met with a few days ago in the marketplace. From his position behind a nearby tree, the stranger simply shrugged and removed his slouch hat. Knowing that the forest's shadows would hide his activities perfectly, he knelt down and quietly laid his briefcase on the ground.

_'Well, guess now's as good a time as any,' _he conceded as he popped open the case and removed a few odd looking items from it. He had more equipment stashed away a couple miles from here, but he decided he could retrieve it in a few minutes. One of the items, a gleaming Bowie hunting knife, he silently slid into a sheath attached to one of his boots. A moment later, he got to his feet and strode back through the forest with stealth that even a ninja would respect. _'Time to get things going.'_**

* * *

**

**Back at the Bridge...**

Team 7, Tazuna, and Zabuza all watched as Sasuke and Haku went at each other like cats and dogs. As far as a winner went, it seemed like that wouldn't be decided until one of them was dead. A more than likely outcome, given the violence with which both teens assaulted one another. Sasuke brought his kunai around for another attack, whipping the bladed edge at Haku. The masked ninja responded by blocking the knife with his senbon at the last second. All the while, Sasuke had been grinning inwardly with wild, unmitigated glee. The power he felt emerging inside of him was incredible! It drove him with a kind of speed and strength he'd never thought possible! Feeling bold, he aimed a straight punch at Haku's masked visage. The boy quickly raised his hand and expertly caught Sasuke's fist in the center of his palm.

And _that_, was a _**big**_ mistake...

All of a sudden, both combatants felt an overwhelming sensation overtake them. For Sasuke, it felt like torrent of raw lava coursing through his entire nervous system. Immediately, he felt the level of power within him spike exponentially, as if something inside of Haku had supercharged him. For Haku, however, it felt as though he had been struck by lightning or forcefully jammed into a power outlet. The shock from contact made the veins bulge and pulse on his forehead and across his chest, his eyes went cloudy and started to roll back in their sockets. Then, fearing that he would black out or worse, the masked ninja pushed Sasuke away from him, staggering back a few feet and gasping for breath.

_'What was that?!'_ they both wondered for a moment. A second later, remembering where they were, they charged one another with a powerful sense of purpose. Again their blades clashed against each other fiercely, though this time they remained deadlocked, both of them attempting to gain ground over their opponent.

"I don't know what that was, but it won't help you," Haku said calmly, expertly masking his now growing paranoia. "I don't want to have to kill you, but you probably won't leave quietly, will you?"

"Don't be stupid," Sasuke rebutted arrogantly.

"Hmp, as I expected," admitted the masked shinobi. "However, you won't be able to keep up with my speed for long, and I've laid the ground-work for two attacks."

_'Two attacks?'_ wondered Sasuke a trifle confused.

"First, there's the water splashed all around us," Haku explained, bringing one hand to his face in a ram seal. "Secondly, I've trapped one of your hands with this parrying move, which leaves you only one free hand to defend against my attacks!" Suddenly, much to the astonishment of Sasuke as well as Kakashi, Haku began to weave hand seals one-handed! This was a feat neither of the two had seen before, or even thought possible! Taking advantage of his opponent's surprise, Haku launched his attack. Stamping his foot on the ground twice, the water around them suddenly sprang to life and flew into the air to form thousands upon thousands of senbon made of ice, all aimed directly at Sasuke! _'Sensatsu Suishou _(Death by a Thousand Flying Water Needles)_!'_

_'So..."I don't want to have to kill you"?'_ sighed Zabuza as he watched his partner battle through the veil of mist and fog. _'I wonder if he truly means that...'_

"Sasuke-kun!" yelled Sakura in a panic. Beside her, Kakashi was equally worried, but knew he could do nothing but watch. The second he left Tazuna and Sakura alone, Zabuza would close in and kill them both. He was between a rock and a hard place, unable to do anything to aid his young charge.

_'Come on!'_ Sasuke shouted in his mind. _'Have to remember my training! I've got to summon all the chakra I can muster and focus it in my feet!'_ As he centered his thoughts on that one task, the needles surrounding him shot forward on Haku's command. Just as it seemed as though Sasuke was done for, something interesting happened, something that no one would've expected in a million years.

All of a sudden, the water beneath Sasuke's feet solidified and became as ice. An instant later, seconds before the needles reached him, a thick, glistening column of ice erupted from under him with tremendous force that shot the surprised Genin skyward! Upon hitting the column, every last one of Haku's needles shattered into a million pieces and fell to the ground. Needless to say, everyone present was amazed by what just happened, especially Haku and Zabuza.

_'Impossible!'_ Zabuza raged inwardly. _'That power is the same as Haku's Kekkei Genkai! How in the world was __he__ able to duplicate it?!'_

_'What is this boy, that he would be able to turn my own power against me?'_ wondered Haku in amazement.

_'How did I do that?!'_ thought Sasuke as he landed unseen on a girder high above his adversary's field of vision. He was silent for a moment, staring down at his hands as though they had become something foreign to him. He had only meant to use his chakra to propel himself into the air, then _that _happened! After a moment, it dawned on him: when Haku had caught his punch a minute ago, that spike of power he'd felt must have caused this! It was as if he had leeched off some of his opponent's abilities and made them his own, enabling him to manipulate ice like he could. _'If that's the case...,'_ he concluded, reaching for a handful of shuriken. He focused on them intensely for a moment, as he had done with his feet, and a thin layer of ice slowly began to coat their edges. In seconds, they sported a number of icy, barb-like projections and the actual blades looked as though they could shred steel. Sasuke grinned slyly at this sight in mute satisfaction. _'It looks like the tables have turned.'_

Deciding to re-enter the fray, he executed a perfect back flip off of his perch and loosed his icy shuriken at his opponent. Haku looked up just in time to see the projectiles bearing down on him and hastily leapt back to avoid them. Skidding safely to a stop, he suddenly felt a breath of cold air brush against the back of his neck, causing the hairs along his spine to stand on end. "You're not that fast," Sasuke taunted from behind his masked enemy. "Now _you're_ the one who has to worry about avoiding _my_ attacks."

Haku turned to face the demon-eyed boy and was greeted by the sight of him bearing down on him with looked to be a tri-pronged kunai coated in ice. Repressing his astonishment, he brought up a hand to block the assault and prevented the boy from striking him. Much to his surprise, Sasuke simply flicked the knife at his head, forcing him to duck low to avoid a sudden lobotomy. Sasuke had planned this however, and swiftly delivered a powerful kick to the masked ninja's head that sent him hurling backwards and skidding to the feet of his master, who looked less than pleased by this sudden turn of events.

_'Sasuke... what on earth are you?'_ Kakashi mused in awe as his student calmly regained his combat stance. From his experience in the ANBU Black Ops, he knew that Hyton (Ice Style) techniques, like the one's Sasuke had begun using, came from one of to places: the Land of Snow, and an extinct clan that was rumored to have originated from the Land of Water. How Sasuke had been able to perform such techniques without having seen them or possessing the extinct clan's Kekkei Genkai was mind-boggling, but he'd worry about that later. Kakashi turned his attention back to Zabuza and smirked beneath his mask. "You both had that coming for under-estimating my team, and for the name calling. He may not look it, but Sasuke here is the top graduate from the Konohagakure Academy; Sakura is our sharpest mind; and let's not forget about our maverick ninja, the one-and-only Naruto!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh," chuckled Zabuza as his partner got to his feet. "Haku... Do you understand that if this continues, you'll most likely be killed at the hands of the very person you sought to spare?"

"Yes, I do," Haku nodded, forming an odd seal with his hands. "What a pity." Suddenly, the air around them grew intensely cold. As if by magic, the water surrounding Sasuke began to rise from the ground and shape itself into a series of flat square-like shapes, which then changed reflective panels of ice. Each one of the mirror-like slabs encompassed Sasuke completely in a perfect 360 degree dome of sorts. Seeing that his creation was finished, Haku stepped forward and seemed to meld into one of the panels. A moment later, his image appeared on every one of them, even the one that hung directly above Sasuke. "_Makyou Hyoushou_ (Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors)."

"Blast!" Kakashi said as he leapt to aid his young student. However, Zabuza overtook him by a second and blocked his way. The nuke-nin's eyes seemed to be laughing at him sadistically, daring him to try something stupid.

"Let's not forget, _I'm_ your enemy," Zabuza taunted. "Our children can play together, while mine kills yours."

"Now that this is in place," Haku said, his reflections repeating his words in unison, "allow me to show you some real speed!" Before Sasuke even had a chance to attempt and contemplate what he meant by that, he was instantly struck from a thousand points at once, over and over again. It felt like a million needles were digging into his flesh and he was helpless beneath their master's hand. It would ease for a moment, just enough for him to glare at Haku with his still glowing eyes, then it would abruptly begin all over again, with the pain worsening each time.

"Arrrggh!! Sasuke bellowed in pain as the assaults continued.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi and Sakura cried out as their friend was put under the needle once more.

"Any sudden moves from you, Kakashi, and I'll kill those other two!" threatened Zabuza, a hint of seriousness behind his voice.

"Gggh-Gyaaggh!" Sasuke howled once more as Haku launched another salvo.

As she watched her crush brutally attacked over and over again, Sakura stood wondering what she should do. She wasn't sure how the others would react to her powers, and she was afraid that they would reject her for them. Just when she thought she wouldn't be able to bear the idea any longer, she remembered what Naruto had said to her when she first found out she was a mutant. _"It's just who you are, nothing more and nothing less."_ In that moment, she knew he was right. She didn't care if they rejected her or not, right now someone she cared about who needed her. "Tazuna-san," she said firmly as she focused on her newfound power, "I'm sorry... but I'm going to have to leave your side for a little bit."

Seeing the determination in her eyes, Tazuna knew there wouldn't be any reasoning with her whatsoever. "Alright," he nodded in understanding. "Go ahead, I'll be fine."

Without a word, Sakura dashed towards the battle before her with renewed vigor and called up the ambient beta energy surrounding her. Immediately, a pair of glowing golden orbs enveloped her hands and began to pulse with the same intensity as her anger. Ever since she'd discovered her powers, she'd been secretly training herself to use them if something like this ever happened, particularly in ways that Naruto had described Cardiac using his abilities. Skidding to a stop a few feet from where her sensei stood, she lowered her hands at shoulder level and aimed the tips of her fingers at the ice mirrors surrounding Sasuke. As she did so, the smaller orbs that flew in lazy circles around her hands began to draw themselves into their larger counterparts, adding to their already intense glow.

_'What?! Sakura too?!' _marveled Kakashi in confusion as he saw what his student was doing. What in the name of the Shodai Hokage was happening to his students?!

"Let Sasuke-kun go!!" yelled Sakura in rage. With that, a huge beam of concentrated beta energy erupted from her outstretched hands and shot towards her crush's icy prison. The powerful blast struck two of the ice mirrors head on and resulted in a massive explosion that sent huge chunks of debris flying in all directions. However, when the dust settled, there wasn't a scratch on either mirror.

"That was quite the display of firepower," admitted Haku as his head emerged from one of the mirrors to look at the kunoichi with renewed interest. "But I'm afraid that it will take something a lot more powerful than _that _to destroy these mirrors."

As if to counter his statement, a smaller beam of orange light came streaking out of the thickness of the mist to nail Haku across the full of his mask and send him tumbling to the ground... hard. Upon closer inspection, the masked ninja saw that the projectile was a glowing blade of energy, and that it had impaled itself into the concrete. A fraction of a second later, a small explosion of smoke detonated off to the right of where Kakashi and Zabuza were facing one another. Little by little, the smoke began to clear, and everyone could make out a now familiar figure decked out in a red and black X.S.E. Combat Uniform.

_'Heh, never thought I'd be happy to see that show-off again,'_ Sasuke thought as he started to pick himself up off of the ground, blood streaming from a number of cuts along the entirety of his frame.

"Who...?" Sakura wondered aloud, holding her breath and hoping it wasn't another enemy.

"Who else Sakura-chan?" Naruto grinned as the smoke finally dissipated, his jacket rippling dramatically in the breeze. His plasma claws were fully unsheathed and he had a wild, mischievous look in his eyes. "Naruto Uzumaki-Howlett, at your service!!"

* * *

**Alright, Naruto has finally arrived to aid his fellow shinobi against their adversaries! Will they be able to defeat Zabuza and Haku? How will Sasuke's mutation affect his future plans for revenge? And who is that strange figure that claims to be associated with Naruto, and what does he plan to do? Stay tuned to find out True Believers, and remember to R & R!**


	9. 9 In Winter's Grasp

**Hello again True Believers! Now, when we last left our heroes, Naruto had arrived to help even the odds against their foes. However, things are about to take a turn for the worst, as Team 7's most powerful members are caught in their own battles for survival. Can anyone make it out on top? Let's find out now... On with the fanfic!

* * *

**

**Chapter 9: In Winter's Grasp; The Demon Awakes!**

"You know how it goes," Naruto grinned as both his team and adversaries stood stunned by his somewhat flashy arrival. "Just when things start to look bleak, the hero appears and then _**POW!**_ It's _adios_ bad guys!"

_'Exasperating little,'_ fumed Kakashi in irritation as his student spoke. _'What we needed was an ambush and instead, he paints a target on himself!'_

_'Big talker,'_ Sasuke glowered. Just before could think anything else on the subject, he felt a hand clamp tightly over his mouth and was then forcefully yanked backwards. He was about to bite down on the hand when he heard an all too familiar voice shush him in a hushed tone.

"Cool it teme, it's me Naruto," whispered the blonde quietly. "You really didn't think I'd be so stupid as to blindly jump into the fight like that, did you?" In all honesty, he actually _did _believe it for a second. But, as Sasuke took a closer look at the other Naruto on the outside of the mirrors, he saw that this one behaved differently than the genuine article behind him did. It acted like it was _supposed_ to be a distraction, while doing its best not to deviate from the original's true personality. "Now, I'm gonna try and teleport us out of here so- Arrggh!" Suddenly, the young X-Man fell heavily to one knee in obvious pain, a bloody senbon of ice jutting from his calf.

"That was a good plan, distracting me with that Kage Bushinn like you did," Haku admitted as said bushinn vanished in a puff of smoke. "However, the space inside those mirrors is like my own personal dimension. Nothing goes on within them that I cannot discern."

_'Typical, Naruto tries to help and ends up only making things worse!' _Kakashi sighed as he watched his student painfully remove the senbon from his leg and through it to the ground. As second later, the gaping hole it had made in his X.S.E. Uniform closed up, it's coating of Unstable Molocules returning to their original shape. Beneath the fabric, Kakashi somehow knew that his wound was reaction similarly, as Naruto's healing factor went to work on it.

The same as before, Haku stepped forward and melded into the mirror that he had been knocked out of a moment ago, the ice around him rippling as if he was stepping into a pool of water. Just before his head entered the icy panel, he turned to face his sword-wielding mentor. "Zabuza-sama, please allow me to take care of this one as well. I wish to defeat him in my own way."

After a moment of consideration, Zabuza turned his attention back to Haku and gave his ultimatum. "So... you want me to keep my hands off him, eh?" the nuke-nin growled. "How charmingly naive as usual."

_'Him, naive? Yeah right!'_ Sasuke scoffed as he and Naruto rose painfully to their feet. _'It's like I'm being cut to ribbons by thousands of needles; but, these cuts are all superficial. He's killing me by inches... saving my vitals and the deathblow for later. I can't seem to counter this technique of his, even after absorbing his abilities. That and I can feel what little power I've absorbed ebbing slowly away. If we want to get out of here, only chance is to try and take out these mirrors, seeing as they seem to be the key behind this whole thing.'_

Naruto glanced at his teammate for a moment and recognized the familiar look in his eye: the Uchiha had a plan. It was then that he also noticed the abnormal glow in Sasuke's eyes that seemed to pulsate and change in brilliance every few seconds. "Heh, you too Sasuke-teme?"

"What'd you mean, _'me too'_?" the dark-haired teen questioned in annoyed confusion.

"You've got mutant powers too, right?" Naruto said with his trademark foxy grin.

Upon hearing that, Sasuke froze for a moment. _'...Is that what that was?' _He wondered in faint shock._ 'I'm... a mutant?' _So, that was what had ignited that bizarre feeling of power within him, and had given him the ability to absorb Haku's powers like he had. It all made sense now! And, if he understood what Sakura had done a moment ago, that meant she had powers like him as well.

"Yeah... I guess I do," he finally managed to say, still a great deal confused. "When I fought that guy a while ago, he caught one of my punches and I somehow absorbed his power to create ice. The thing is I was close to finally activating my Sharingan when it happened." What he said was true; he _had_ been focusing on trying to force his Sharingan to activate when his new power had so abruptly manifested. "But that's not important right now. I can feel myself losing the power I took from him and on top of that, thanks to your 'plan', now we're _both_ stuck in here!"

"Hey, at least I thought about saving your sorry ass!" the blonde shot back in annoyance, a small vein pulsing on is brow. "But like you said yourself, it's not important now. Right now we've gotta deal with getting outta here."

"Right," agreed Sasuke as he quickly went through a series of hand seals. "_Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!_" With the same powerful technique he'd used against Kakashi in the Bell Test, Sasuke spat out a massive ball of fire at the closest set of mirrors, the intensity of its heat rippling through the air. Following his lead, Naruto leveled his hands in the opposite direction and launched his _**Gatling Claw**_ at the opposing mirrors, the glowing claws showering the ice like rain over and over. When all was said and done, however, the effect was the same as when Sakura had attempted to use her powers against the mirrors: not a single one was destroyed. Before they could try again, they were viciously assaulted by another of Haku's senbon attacks.

"As I told your friend, it will take more than that to destroy my mirrors," Haku and his images said in cold unison after they'd reappeared and had finished their attack. "Your pitiful flames won't even touch them."

"Maybe, but let's see how they react to brute force," Naruto growled as he launched his next attack, forming a seal with his still clawed hands. "Kage Bushinn no Jutsu!" A burst of smoke enveloped him, and from it leapt twenty bushinn, one for each of mirrors with their claws carving neon arcs through the air. Just as they came inches from hitting the mirrors, they were simultaneously attacked and dispelled in a massive burst of smoke. A moment later, Sasuke and Naruto were dealt a similar blow.

"The technique I'm using is that of _Shunshin_ (God Speed or Teleportation), and the only tool I require to perform it is the mirrors that hold my image," Haku explained as Naruto and Sasuke were sent flying backwards onto the pavement. "I move so fast that the two of you might as well be standing still."

"I've had just about enough'a this crap," Naruto proclaimed as he rose to his feet, ignoring the pain of the senbon still imbedded in his arms and shoulders. "I refuse to have it end like this! I have a dream to fulfill and you're not gonna stop me!" Haku was silent for a moment at that, remembering his talk with Naruto in the forest a few days ago. Was this his true path, destruction and murder? Could he really bring himself to do this?

"I... find it difficult to follow the philosophy of the shinobi," he finally admitted after a moment of awkward silence. "I can't help but prefer the two of you not force me to kill you. However, if you do come at me, I shall be forced to kill my own heart with my blade- just at the word 'shinobi' once meant 'heart' and 'blade'-and act as a true shinobi would. This bridge is a nexus of our destines, and everything we hold dear is balanced on the edge of a knife. We each have our own dreams, so please do not resent me for my willingness to do whatever it takes to protect the dreams of the one I care about the most. Doing so is my dream, and to that end, I will become a true shinobi and kill you both!"

After giving what Haku had said to them a moment to sink in, both Naruto and Sasuke nodded in recognition and attempted another assault, Naruto with his claws and bushinn, with Sasuke adding to the fray of flames with his fireballs. They understood what was at stake by doing this, yet they didn't care one bit. They were fighting for their dreams too, and they weren't about to give up on them without a fight.

* * *

"Heh, what do you say we let them sort this out amongst themselves, eh, Kakashi?" Zabuza sneered as he willed the surrounding mist to envelop him once more. As he did so, the mist moved over the spot were Naruto and Sasuke where battling Haku, obscuring Team 7's view of their trapped comrades. Kakashi scanned the mists warily as the nuke-nin's taunting laughter echoed throughout the area. "It's just you and me now."

"You'll forgive me, if I put an end to this?" Kakashi responded, lifting up his hitai-ite to reveal his Sharingan.

"Falling back on Sharingan again?" Zabuza taunted, goading him from within the mist. "What a vulgar ploy, so obvious and lacking in finesse!" Suddenly, the nuke-nin flew out of the mist and slashed at one of Kakashi's hands with a wickedly curved kunai. Though the blade drew blood, Kakashi's injury was only skin deep, and therefore minor. "Heh, a ninja's secret weapon should be employed judiciously, not displayed at random to every foe you face."

"Is there anything more dull than listening to someone drone on and on like an old woman?" Kakashi shot back. "Let's finish this!"

"Heh, by all means, defeat me if you can," mocked Zabuza arrogantly. "You still won't have what it takes to defeat Haku!"

_'What? Could that boy be so powerful that even Kakashi-sensei can't defeat him?' _worried Sakura silently as she stood by Tazuna, her beta energy still encompassing her hands. Whatever Zabuza had planned, she would be ready for him!

"Since he was young," explained Zabuza nonchalantly, "I've beaten his fighting skills into him! Even in the face of extreme adversity, Haku has always prevailed. He's lost all regard for his own life and become a relentless killing machine, a true shinobi! Not only that, but he bears with him the formidable legacy of a powerful Kekkei Genkai."

_'So, I was right,'_ Kakashi realized as he continued to stare down the nuke-nin. _'That power Sasuke was able to duplicate somehow __was__ a Kekkei Genkai.'_

"As for myself," continued Zabuza, "having seen it once already, I now have a thorough understanding of the workings of your Sharingan eye. You see, there was far more to our last encounter than that humiliating defeat you handed me: Haku was hiding nearby, taking in every aspect of the battle and deducing the nature of that eye of yours. For him, to see a technique is to analyze it and develop counter-measures based on his understanding." Seemingly finished with his bragging, the nuke-nin formed another seal and once more vanished into the mist.

"Sakura!" warned Kakashi as he scanned the mist, which began to get even thicker. "Stick close to Tazuna and don't let your guard down even for a second!"

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei!" she replied, the growing curtain of mist masking all but the outline of her form and that of Tazuna. A second later, those too vanished as well.

_'This fog is way too thick for his Kiri Gakure no Jutsu, even Zabuza won't be able to see through it,' _Kakashi reasoned as he mentally prepared himself for his adversary's next move. With the fog as thick as it was, it was anyone's game at this point. Suddenly, the Copy-nin sensed a spike of chakra off to his left and was immediately assaulted by a series of bladed strikes, all of which he managed to parry with his kunai. If not for his Sharingan enhancing his reaction time and reflexes, those attacks would've perforated him completely!

"You repelled those quite nicely," came Zabuza's chilling voice from behind him. Turning around as slowly as possible, Kakashi saw that the nuke-nin was indeed standing behind him, but something had changed from his previous attack: he had his eyes closed! "However, the next time you see me it will still be the end. You've overestimated the value of your Sharingan."

"What?!"

"Heh, heh, heh," chuckled the nuke-nin maliciously as he vanished once more into the surrounding mist. "You pretend that it enables you to penetrate all, yet you've turned out to be a false prophet after all, Kakashi. In other words, your Sharingan is nothing but an elaborate hoax, a confidence trick you play on your opponents! More precisely, it combines clarity of perception and insight on your own part with your ability to hypnotize those around you. When used in concert, you create your illusions through sheer mimicry of your opponent, all the while chipping away at their insecurities and paranoia. Knowing this, it simple to choose a counter-measure to your abilities."

Just as Kakashi thought Zabuza had finished his little monologue, the nuke-nin swung at him with a powerful left-hook. Unable to see to defend himself, he took the blow right across the jaw and was sent skidding back a ways. _'Argh! It's hard to block what I can't see, especially in this mist!'_

"First, I conceal myself in this mist and neutralize your visual acuity," explained Zabuza proudly from within the mist. "And, by shutting my eyes, I eliminate the possibility of hypnosis when at close proximity with you."

"Heh, but while I can't use my eyes, neither can you!" stated the silver-haired Jounin as he warily searched the mist for any sign of movement. His statement was met with an amused and evil laugh.

"You forget Kakashi," taunted the nuke-nin haughtily. "I'm Momochi Zabuza, Master of the Silent Kill! I don't need to see you when I can hunt you down by sound alone!"

_'... Damn it!'_ Kakashi swore silently, still vigilant to the world around him._ 'I've been so distracted by Sasuke and Naruto's predicament that I haven't considered how long it's been since I've had to fight under these conditions!'_ Deciding to keep a cool head, he relaxed for a moment and took a deep breath, opening his mind and centering his thoughts on the task at hand. He would need every last ounce of focus if he wanted to succeed. _'Now, who will he target...? NO!'_

At that moment, Zabuza appeared behind Tazuna and Sakura like a figure of death from within the mist. Silent as only a shinobi could be, he took hold of his Kubikiri Hocho and rushed forward as he readied himself to swing.It was then that Sakura sensed his chakra and turned to face the nuke-nin, who bore down on her with incredible, almost inhuman speed. Just before he could deliver the finishing blow, Kakashi flickered into existence in front of the assassin's blade to protect his student and their charge. A second later, he brought down the massive sword. "Too late!" bellowed Zabuza victoriously.

* * *

Back inside the dome of ice mirrors, Sasuke and Naruto were just getting to their feet after experiencing another punishing salvo of senbon. They had put everything they had into their last attacks, and still the mirrors remained standing. However, they weren't about to give up yet, not as long as they could still draw breath. The both of them had to win, for the sake of their dreams if nothing else. As Sasuke mulled this over in his mind once more, Sakura's frightened scream cut through the air like a knife. That single, solitary sound was enough to make his blood run as cold as the air around him had become.

_'Sakura-chan! What's going on out there?!'_ he wondered in a concerned panic as he got to his feet, this mind racing a mile a minute. _'If this keeps up, we'll all be in serious trouble! I've got to focus... see through the illusion!'_

_'I've been targeting the vital spots that cause mortal injuries, yet it isn't working on either of them,'_ Haku analyzed as he looked down on Naruto and Sasuke. _'The blonde one just takes everything I throw at him and keeps coming, but that boy, Sasuke... he's been able to avoid all of my fatal blows. And while he's dividing focus between fighting me and helping his friend, he's beginning to gain speed that matches up with my techniques.'_

"You move well," complimented the masked boy honestly. "However, my next attack will finish you!" With that, he loosed another, tightly focused barrage of icy senbon at Naruto and Sasuke. Much to his surprise though, Sasuke managed tackle Naruto hard and they both flew out of the path of the deadly needles. The moment his head hit the ground, however, stars flashed across Naruto's field of vision, causing him to temporarily blackout.

_'He wasn't fooled, or even confused... impossible!'_ marveled Haku from within his mirror. It was then, as Sasuke staggered to his feet that he finally saw the source of the mutant boy's speed: a pair of black _tome_ situated on either side of his eyes' pupils. The boy had a Sharingan, the same as his sensei! "You're...!! I see, you too share the legacy of a Kekkei Genkai."

"Heh, amongst other things," Sasuke grinned as he glared at his ice-wielding opponent. _'It was only for a moment, but I was able to see it!'_

"...I cannot allow this to continue," said Haku after a moment of silent awe and respect. "My own art requires that I expend a considerable amount of chakra, so there is a limit. Also, if this does continue, I am certain that your ability to perceive my movements will become greater." As he skillfully contemplated his course of action, Haku couldn't help but feel uneasy about advancing on the Uchiha before him. Someone who could match his skills was truly a prodigy, not to be taken lightly. _'It would be foolish to attempt a direct attack,' _he considered silently. It was then that his analytical eyes fell on Naruto, who was groggily getting to his knees and attempting to shake the cobwebs out of his brain. _'Maybe if I use the boy.'_

Sasuke watched as Haku gathered another handful of gleaming senbon, all of which he assumed were meant for him and readied himself for an attack, the needles imbedded in his legs paining him greatly as he did so. He had only a small amount of the masked ninja's strange power remaining, and if he could, he planned to use it to end this fight here and now. Just then, Haku leapt from one of the mirrors and shot past him with blinding speed, headed on a direct collision course with... Naruto! _'He's going after Naruto now?! No, I have to reach him before he does!'_

_'Ugh,'_ Naruto groaned both mentally and audibly as he rose to a sitting position. _'Damn, my head feels like Marko just used it for a punching bag. What the hell hit me? Was it Sasuke? No, that's crazy, he's got to worry about-'_ It was then that his thoughts were interrupted by a number of frightening sounds. The sound of soft flesh being penetrated by a series of sharp objects; a grunt of mortal pain; ice splintering and cracking; and finally the heavy _thud_ of something hitting the ground hard. Shaking the last of the multicolored spots from his vision, Naruto turned and saw something that made his heart leap into his throat.

Sasuke was lying on the ground in front of him, a ring of icy senbon protruding from his neck and in a line along his spinal column, as well as his wrists, his chest, and his palms. The Uchiha heir's right hand was encased in a thick layer of ice, slightly cracked and splintered from where he had hit Haku across his mask. Haku himself was splayed out spread-eagle on the ground a few feet from where Sasuke lay, painfully rubbing his jaw where the Uchiha had struck him. However, the masked ninja was not Naruto's main priority at the time. "Sasuke!" he cried out as he rushed to his comrade's side.

"Heh, get that lame expression off your face, you screw up," Sasuke managed to sputter, coughing up a fair amount of blood as he did so. "... I used to hate you, you know."

"Sasuke, why?!" Naruto stammered as he knelt by his friend's side and held up his head. "Why did you save me like that? You should've worried about yourself, you know my healing factor would've been able to take those hits."

"(Cough) how should I know, fool," the Uchiha said, his voice beginning to die down to a raspy-like whisper. "My body just moved on its own." He coughed twice more and turned to look at his blonde comrade. If he was gonna die here, Naruto at least deserved to know the truth about him, the whole truth. "... I, I swore that I wouldn't die until I killed him, my older brother. Thought the oath would save me... But don't you dare die too..." And with that, Sasuke fell silent, his eyes shut in a peaceful and eternal slumber.

As he laid his friend back down on the concrete, Naruto felt an inhuman rage begin to build within him, one that felt as hot as the pits of Hell itself. He felt enormous quantities of hatred and anger envelope his thoughts, fueled by an all-consuming thirst for vengeance. He would make Sasuke's killer pay for what he had done!

"Is this the first time you've had to watch a comrade die like this?" asked Haku sincerely as he got to his feet and dusted himself off. "He was a true shinobi of the utmost respect, sacrificing himself to protect someone he cared for by throwing himself headlong into what he knew was most likely a trap." As he spoke, Haku walked into one of his mirrors and turned to face Naruto once more, his images appearing again as he did so. "It was a fitting end for an honorable shinobi such as he."

"Shut up!" Naruto snapped maliciously, tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes.

Suddenly a thick cloud of steam began to rise from the boy's body, and as Haku looked on in awe, he could see that he was changing. The wounds on his body began to close up, his senbon popping out of the spots where they had lodged themselves into his flesh and falling uselessly to the ground. Without warning, Naruto's plasma claws ignited violently from his bloodstained hands, doubling in size until they resembled great, glowing butcher knives. Then his body began to shake and convulse as the physical changes began to take place. The tips of his ears lengthened and became pointed, his teary, cerulean blue eyes turning as red as freshly spilled blood, their irises becoming slitted like those of a wild beast. The faint whisker-like marks on his cheeks became thicker and darker, his canine teeth erupting from his gums as they became sharper and more pronounced. It was a terrible sight to behold, and to hear as well, as Haku could hear Naruto snarling in pain and anguish as the changes took hold.

'_What is this, this chakra I feel?' _Haku wondered as the bizarre metamorphosis continued. It was then that a spiral of blood-red chakra leapt from Naruto's body, traced circles around him for a moment, then climbed skyward in the form of a DNA helix, remaining within the dome's confines all the while. The formation continued to loop violently around the blonde's body and, at the height of its apex, a sinister-looking shape began to take form. After a moment, it was visible: the massive, snarling head of what looked to be a fox! _'What?! Chakra cannot be seen, and yet it's clearly visible. It's something ghastly; I can practically feel the wrath, the bloodlust, like evil itself!'_ Suddenly, a deep, ominous voice scrapped across his mind, like nails on a blackboard.

'_**Who dares to spill the blood of the innocent?!'**_ it raged loudly, almost demanding an answer from him. The voice sounded ancient, feral, and angry... _very_ angry.

'_Wha-What is this?!'_ Haku panicked mentally. Just as he thought the voice would answer, the chakra spiral and face condensed into a column of red energy and struck Naruto, absorbing itself into his teenage frame. Then, as he stood, the red chakra began to seep from every pore of his skin like sap would from a tree, beginning to form around him in a cloak of sorts. It completely encased him from head to toe, almost like a personal shield that bubbled and shifted with each passing second. At the crown of his head, the crimson energy formed what looked to be a pair of lupine ears, and at the base of his spine, a single, solitary tail took shape. The strange new appendage swished back and forth in anger and irritation. _'This boy…what on earth is he?!'_

"I should've warned you before… _Haku_," Naruto snarled, his voice becoming deeper and huskier than before, virtually dripping with malice and hatred as he practically spat out his name. "_Don't_ make me mad."He whipped his head around to glare at the frightened ninja over his shoulder. What could be seen of his face was contorted in a gruesome mask of inhuman rage and anger, his eyes burning in intense hatred and distain. **"You won't like me when I'm mad!"**

"Stay back!" Haku panicked, showering senbon down upon the inhuman boy in an attempt to defend himself from whatever the child had planned for him.

The needles came inches from the chakra cloak, turned white-hot, then melted on contact, vaporizing to atoms in mere seconds. Naruto animalistically dropped down on all-fours, threw his head back in a low, bloodcurdling howl and flickered out of sight. A second later, five of Haku's ice mirrors suddenly shattered in a rain of ice and snow. Bewildered, Haku looked around for the demonic boy only to catch a fleeting glimpse of him as he literally_ flew _past his mirror. His eyes were wild, enraged, and teaming with bloodlust, his claws carving bright, neon streaks through the air. The killer intent behind them was almost nauseating. Another of Haku's mirrors promptly fell apart a milisecond later.

'_His chakra grows stronger with every second; I have to end this now!'_ Haku reasoned, using the remainder of his images to attempt another attack once Naruto reappeared. Again, the senbon melted as soon as they struck the crimson cloak, causing small wisps of steam to rise from its ever shifting surface. They tried again, but this time the cloak's tail lashed out and knocked them from the air as if they were spitballs. Naruto looked up at the images and snarled angrily like a wild animal, eyes shrouded in blind fury. He vanished once more, then suddenly materializing in the ice dome's center, spreading his hands wide like an orchestra conductor from Hell, and flashing a wicked smile as he did so. Then, without warning, he forcefully slammed them together before him in a great, thunderous clap, creating a miniature sonic-boom that shattered the remaining mirrors in seconds. Immediately, Haku realized that this boy was too much for him to handle.

_'I have to try and stop him; I refuse to let it end this way!'_ From the shard of a broken mirror, Haku leapt at Naruto with a gleaming senbon clutched tightly in his hand in a futile attempt to stab him. Sensing him, Naruto flicked out his hand and caught Haku by the forearm, tightening his grip enough to force him to drop the needle. A second later, the masked ninja cried out in pain as his wrist was broken with little effort. The other hand Naruto drew back and made into a fist, the demonic chakra flowing around it wildly.

_'This is madness!'_ Haku realized. _'I can't withstand this chakra any more!'_ Roaring with all his might, Naruto struck Haku in the center of his mask with inhuman strength, the force of the great blow splintering his mask and sending him soaring through the air like an out-of-control NASA rocket.

* * *

The very second the Kyuubi's chakra escaped from Naruto, both Kakashi and Zabuza felt the influx of power that seemed to hang in the air as it remained. It was menacing and dark, as if evil itself had descended upon them from the blackest pits of _Yomi _(the Japanese Underworld in Shinto mythology). Although Zabuza had no clue as to what it was, Kakashi knew that dark chakra all too well. He'd felt that same chakra on that fateful night thirteen years ago, but then it was much stronger then than this was now.

_'Has the seal been broken?!'_ Kakashi worried as he looked in the direction the power was coming from, though he couldn't see a thing through the damnable fog that enveloped them. _'No, it's just been loosened. Either way, I've got to end this quickly.'_ Reaching for a compartment on his vest, he unclipped it and removed a small scroll from its confines. He then wiped his thumb across the wound he'd received when he'd prevented Zabuza from killing Tazuna and Sakura a moment ago, and spread the blood along the scroll's unfurled print.

"Zabuza!" he called out as he dramatically spun the scroll in a few lazy arcs around his body. "We're both busy men you and I, so what do you say we wrap this up right here and now?!"

"Heh, sounds tempting, Kakashi; but I have no intention of letting this end so early in the game," rebutted Zabuza from within the mist's confines. "Besides, just as I said before, you're nothing without your Sharingan! You can't defeat me no matter what you try with that eye of yours!"

"Do you really think I made it into the ANBU Black Ops on just my Sharingan and a prayer?!" The Copy-nin shot back in annoyance as he retracted the scroll and formed a ram seal before his mouth. After he had formed the seal, he quickly slammed the scroll on the ground and instantly, a series of complex ninjutsu formulas encompassed it in a tight circle. "_Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu! _(Earth Style Summoning: Tracking Fang Jutsu)!"

"Posturing won't get you anywhere Kakashi," Zabuza taunted maliciously. "We both know you won't be able to find me no matter what you try, while I can find you where ever it is you may hide! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" However, Zabuza had laughed sooner than he should've, for as he did so, a series of fissures and cracks began to appear beneath his feet. His laughter died in his throat a moment later, as a pack of hitai-ite wearing dogs erupted from the concrete floor and bit down on him, effectively paralyzing him. "What?! No!!"

"'When your eyes and ears fail you, always follow your nose'," Kakashi quoted with a smile as a portion of the fog rolled away to reveal the captive Zabuza. Although his time in Konohagakure had been brief, Wolverine had left him with some valuable advice. "When you cut me earlier, you neglected to wipe my blood from you sword. The technique I used allowed me to call forth my _ninken_ (Ninja Hounds), who were able to zero in on the scent of my blood and 'restrain' you." He approached the now immobilized nuke-nin and stopped a yard or so away from him. As Zabuza looked on in confusion, Kakashi went through a series seals at blinding speed then ceased to drop his right arm to his side, bracing it with his left as an electric-blue glow began to envelope his open palm. "Now, I believe I've said this once before...Your future is death!"

* * *

**Holy Smokes True Believers! Naruto's gone full One-Tail against Haku in retaliation to Sasuke's death! Can't say I blame him though, he finally starts to become friends with the moody kid, then he up and dies. Don't tune out just yet gang, cause the next chapter is where everything changes! Up to this point, things have kinda been sticking to the original a bit, but no more! Get ready for chilling surprises, mind-blowing fight sequences, and best of all, the revelation of our mystery guest! Stay tuned as things get awesome, and remember to R&R!**


	10. 10 Crimson Snowflakes

****

Welcome back, True Believers! Now, the last time we left Naruto and the gang, Naruto had used his One-Tailed form to beat the stuffing out of Haku in retaliation to Sasuke's demise. Now, as the masked boy recovers from his blows, can anything halt Naruto's enraged rampage? Why don't we find out? Hold on to your hats folks, because from here on out, things are about to change dramatically! Now, on with the Fanfic...

* * *

**Chapter 10: Snowflakes of Crimson.**

As he flew erratically through the air on the force of Naruto's Kyuubi-enhanced punch, Haku looked back on everything he had been through in his life, everything he had seen and done. The good times and the bad, from the time when he was superfluous and living in mere existence to the time that Zabuza had found him and given him a purpose once again. It all lay stretched out before him now, like a field of fresh-fallen snow. Looking back on all of the things he had done, all of the lives he had ruined and destroyed, maybe this was how things were supposed to end for him. All of this weighted heavily on his mind and soul as his short-lived flight came to a painful and abrupt end. He hit the unforgiving concrete of the bridge hard, bounced for a few feet, then slid slowly to a dead stop.

_'Zabuza-sama... please, forgive me,'_ he thought as he painfully got to his hands and knees, his splintered mask falling from his face in shards that clattered noisily to the pavement, his wrist screaming in agony from where Naruto had broken it. As he did so, he felt a massive surge of inhuman chakra heading directly for him, and he knew without a doubt that it was Naruto on his way to finish him off for killing his friend._ 'I am no match for this boy. Master... I have failed you.'_

It was then that an enraged Naruto, having followed his quarry's flight by sprinting after him doggedly on all-fours, seized Haku by his torn collar and hauled him into the air, suspending him there with one hand. His other hand was drawn back for the finishing blow, fingers brought together in the shape of a spade with his plasma claws unsheathed to their full length, resembling a great spear. With his haunting mask finally gone, Naruto let Haku look into his blazing red eyes up close this time, allowing him to drink all of the nauseating hatred, pain and rage that had built up behind them. As the once masked boy held his foreboding gaze, the young X-Man reached into the deep resists of his mind and let go of the power he had unlocked. Slowly, but surely, the Kyuubi's pulsing chakra cloak began to fade, until all that remained of the demon's ghastly power was the inhuman glow in Naruto's eyes. _'Yes Naruto. Do it. Kill me, for I am of use to no one now.'_

Then something strange happened, something Haku didn't expect him to do. After what seemed like an eternity of unbearable silence, Naruto simply released him from his grasp and let him fall to the pavement, sheathing his claws as he did so. Confused by this act of mercy, Haku looked up at Naruto in perplexed shock. He had slain his comrade, someone precious to him, yet he didn't exact his revenge. How could he do something like this? And better yet... "Why?" Haku finally managed to stammer. "Why would you-"

"Because," Naruto curtly interrupted, his back turned to him as he spoke, pain and sorrow staining his voice. "... I may have learned the ways of the shinobi, but I'm still an X-Man, and the X-Men_ don'_t kill. Right now, I wish to Heaven that I could, but I won't. I'm not like you Haku, or your scum of a master, Zabuza. I'll do what I have to do, but I won't kill so needlessly, even though nothing would make me happier than to do so right now!"

"You are right," Haku admitted solemnly, a hint of shame in his voice as well. "Zabuza-sama does not hold such standards of honor or mercy. Any one who stands between him and his dream, their lives are forfeit in his eyes."

"That's another thing," Naruto said as he turned to stare down at the once masked boy. "Why do you such loyalty to someone like him? You and he are nothing alike at all. He butchered his entire class in like they were nothing but cattle, tried to murder the Mizukage in cold blood, and became a nuke-nin after it all failed. He's a cold-hearted _hitokiri_ (man-slayer). Why be loyal to someone so cruel and evil like that?"

"... Because, he is precious to me," Haku said softly as he remained on the pavement where Naruto had dropped him. It was then that he wanted, no _needed,_ for Naruto to understand him and why he was loyal to Zabuza. "Once, long ago, I too was precious, for I belonged to my parents. I was born in a sleepy little village in the Land of Water, a quiet place where the snow rises deep in the winter. My parents were very poor and our life was hard, but we were content. My parents were good to one another and kind to me as well. Yes, we were happy once, but then everything changed. Because of something that happened long before I was born... everything changed."

"And why is that?" Naruto asked sincerely, his anger somewhat lost as the boy told his tale.

"My blood," Haku said sadly, what looked like tears forming in the corners of his eyes as the painful memories came flooding back to him. It took all of his control to keep from crying in sorrow from those memories. How he hated them, every last one of them. "... My, blood."

"What are you talking about?" the blonde asked, feeling both entranced and intrigued by what he meant. Yet somehow, he knew what was coming next. The sad look in the boy's eyes was the same as he'd seen before, in the eyes of countless others.

"After countless years of brutal civil war," Haku resumed sadly, "the people of the Land of Water regarded those with a Kekkei Genkai bloodline as abominations and harbingers of doom. Once useful in a life of combat and killing, they were now looked upon with fear and hatred. Many feared their presence would only bring more war and misfortune. And so it was that many clans went into hiding after the war. For years, my mother was able to keep her Kekkei Genkai hidden, but when I to came to inherit her powers, it was evident she would be discovered. And so it was that my father found her out and murdered her, then tried to do the same to me. But, my power was... different from her's, much stronger than any that had come before it. I froze him solid, then shattered him into a thousand shards of ice... killing him. Then, I fled the village, in fear for my life."

Haku was silent for a moment, lost in the pain of the memories he'd awakened. Naruto looked on sympathetically as he let him be for a time, knowing all to well how he felt. It seemed to be the defining trait of humanity: to always fear that which they did not understand. This thought remained in the back of his mind as Haku continued his story in a weary voice. "After that, once I was myself again, I realized that I was no longer truly myself. I was superfluous, unwanted, and un-necessary. I realized that I was all alone, and that if I died, no one would notice, or even care for that matter." He paused for a moment, tears coming to his eyes once more, though he bit them back. "That was when Zabuza-sama found me. He adopted me, made me feel wanted, and gave my life a purpose again, even knowing of my strange Kekkei Genkai. He saw something inside me that he needed and made me useful again. I was happy! I was needed, wanted, and precious once more! But now... now I am of no further use to him, or anyone else for that matter. I am like a broken weapon or tool, to be cast aside and forgotten. Please, kill me, Naruto."

Naruto was shocked by his impossible request. Even after he had told him he wouldn't kill him, he still wanted to die. Why would he want this? Was he really convinced in his heart that he could no longer be of use to anyone? If so, then he was wrong. "Haku, you know I won't kill you. It won't accomplish anything at all, and it certainly... won't bring Sasuke-teme back to life." Bringing up Sasuke's death like that sparked a flame of hatred in his gut, yet he quelled the feeling. It wouldn't help at all. "And you're not a tool Haku," he continued adamantly, for he couldn't help but feel his pain. "You're a person with thoughts and emotions, things that tools can never possess. You know... I honestly think that if we had met in another time and place, you and I could've been friends."

Hearing Naruto say this confounded Haku even more than when he had spared his life a moment ago. Friends? How could he say that after what he had just done to him? And why would he want to be friends with a freak like him? Before he could inquire on Naruto's statement any further, Haku felt a massive surge of chakra flare up behind him. It wasn't anything like Naruto's had been before, but it was still strong, even stronger than Zabuza's. Somehow, deep inside of him, Haku knew that his master was on its receiving end if he didn't act quickly.

Apparently, Naruto felt the energy as well. However, unlike Haku, he recognized the chakra signature the instant it went up. "Kakashi-sensei," he managed to say softly.

"Sorry Naruto, change of plan," Haku said firmly, drawing the blonde's attention back to him. "It seems I'm not ready to die just yet." With that, his hands became a blur of motion as he went through a series of intricate seals. As he finished, his image twisted and bent for a moment, as if he were but a reflection in a funhouse mirror, the he promptly vanished from sight.

"Haku, no!" Naruto yelled in concern as he sprinted off in the direction of Kakashi's chakra. If he was right, then Haku was about to do something incredibly stupid.

* * *

Meanwhile, back with Zabuza and Kakashi, the Copy-nin had just put the finishing touches on his signature jutsu, one that he hadn't copied from some other ninja... _Raikiri _(Lightning Blade), his ultimate finishing move. Now, as he stood before the captive nuke-nin like some silver-haired Angel of Death, nearly a thousand volts of electricity coursed through his open palm. "The man you're trying to kill is the very heart and soul of this island. The bridge he's building is the result of his dream and the dreams of his people. I won't allow you to defile them like this, that's not the true shinobi way."

"Spare my your near-sighted take on philosophy, Kakashi," growled Zabuza maliciously as the other man's ninken restrained him. "These useless little people, with their petty little dreams, why should I care about any of them? I have a dream of my own."

"Ah, but to have a dream, you need to have a future," Kakashi reasoned as he dropped into a fighter's crouch. "You don't. Your future's all used up Zabuza." With that, the Copy-nin charged the nuke-nin, the energy from his _Raikiri_ scorching burn-marks into the pavement as he surged forward. It looked like this time, Zabuza truly was finished. Then out of thin air, a gleaming ice mirror suddenly sprouted out of the ground and from it, Haku leapt into the path of Kakashi's killer technique, his arm spread wide to protect his sensei. With the speed and force at which he was moving, the silver-haired Jounin had no way to pull back, and reluctantly plunged his hand deep into the boy's chest, obliterating his heart in seconds. The impact of the blow created a massive sonic-boom, one that worked on a much larger scale than the one Naruto had summoned earlier, clearing the mist in one fell swoop so each respective party could see one another.

_'He threw himself in front of my attack,'_ Kakashi thought as he powered down his _Raikiri_ and caught the boy as he fell. _'He sacrificed himself to protect Zabuza.'_

"Z-Zabuza-sama," Haku managed sputter in-between the coughs that brought blood to his mouth.

"So, my future's all used up, eh?" Zabuza sneered arrogantly as the Copy-nin's _ninken_ vanished in a burst of smoke. "Wrong again, Kakashi!"

Naruto, seeing what had happened, took a step back. He was too late. Haku had gotten his wish, one that he couldn't have given him. _'No, not like this. It shouldn't have happened this way.'_

Then, just as Zabuza reached for his sword to hack through his apprentice and get to Kakashi, something strange happened that all three took notice of. Haku began to fade away, becoming as transparent and see-through as a phantom before their very eyes. Before he vanished any further, he turned to look over at Naruto and smiled. It was the same smile he had shown in the forest when they had first met, one of kindness and of a forgiving spirit. Then, he suddenly fell apart and dissolved into a soft shower of pure white snowflakes that was carried away by gentle, caressing breeze, never to be seen again. He was gone... forever.

* * *

While everyone else was still in awe of what had happened to Haku, Sakura was worried about other things at the moment. With the heavy mist finally gone, she was finally able to see that Naruto was alright and breathed a sigh of relief. "Naruto!" she called out as she waved to him, trying to get his attention. "Naruto, over here!"

_'Oh, Sakura-chan,'_ Naruto mourned inwardly as he saw her smiling at him. Seeing her like that only made him feel worse inside than he had before. It reminded him of how great a loss they had just suffered. In all his years with the X-Men, he'd never lost a teammate, and now... _'Damnit. How... how on earth am I going to tell her he's...?'_

"So you and Sasuke-kun are alright?" she asked. However, when he didn't answer her, she saw the look on his face and a slight stream of tears flowing like raindrops from the corners of both his eyes. It was then that it hit her, and a wave of sorrow and fear washed over her. Realizing what had happened, her hands shot to her lips as she stifled a gasp, tears already forming on her face. "... No."

Tazuna, acting like the parent and grandparent he was, turned to her with eyes full of understanding and comfort. Having suffered a loss like this, he knew that she would need it. "Let me take you to him Sakura," he offered meaningfully. "As long as we stick together you won't be disobeying your sensei."

"Thank you," she managed to say as she instinctively grabbed his hand. As they both ran past him to see to Sasuke's body, Naruto felt one of Sakura's tears fly and hit him on the cheek. In that moment, he swore could feel all of the sorrow and pain she felt flow into him.

Upon reaching Sasuke's body, Sakura was immediately shocked by what she saw before her. Her crush lay unmoving on the pavement, his eyes held shut in a sleep she knew he would never waken from. She ignored the gleaming senbon protruding from his still frame, but focused on his face, the face she had fell in love with what seemed like a millennia ago. Unable to bear it any longer, she knelt down beside him and gently put her hand to his lifeless face. "His body's... so cold," she observed as she lovingly caressed his face, a memory from their Bell Test popping into her head. "This isn't just one of his genjutsu tricks, is it?"

"Go ahead Sakura," Tazuna told her in a fatherly tone, "you don't need to be brave on my account. Go on and let your feelings out, it's alright." Instead of breaking down and crying like he thought she would, Sakura just sat their, silently caressing her crush's face as if he were still alive. At first, he thought she didn't hear him, or maybe was ignoring him. Then, after a moment, she said something that puzzled him greatly.

"I was the best," she finally said softy, not once looking up from Sasuke's still form. "I aced every test they gave us, the perfect student." She paused for a moment, lost in her memories of her blissful, happy days back at the academy, when she and Ino were still friends and when she first fell for Sasuke. "Did you know there are over 100 principles of shinobi conduct? I memorized every single one. I used to love it when they quizzed us on them, 'gave me a chance to show how smart I was. There was this one time they asked us to explain the twenty-fifth principle, I got it right of course." It was then, as this one, single memory came to her mind, that the full weight of her monumental grief became too much for her to bear, and she finally began to cry. "A shinobi (sob) never shows their feelings, no matter what the circumstance. Feelings are a weakness (sniffle) that only cloud their judgment and weaken their sense of duty. (Sob) Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura then lifted Sasuke's head off of the concrete and held him lovingly in her arms, all the while crying her eyes out as she buried her face in his shirt, her hear-felt tears soaking the blood-stained fabric. As he stood over her, Tazuna couldn't help but feel as if he was intruding on something sacred. Her unwavering love for Sasuke was so strong, that in his death, she felt so helpless and lost without him there to comfort her and give her a sense of hope. _'To place such an unbearable burden on a young girl's shoulders like this,'_ he thought solemnly as he looked away to give Sakura her privacy. _'If that truly is the shinobi way, to deny one's feelings like this, then you can have it.'_

* * *

As he listened to Sakura cry out her heart and soul, Kakashi hung his head in grief. Though he did his best to hide his feelings, like a true shinobi, he too mourned for Sasuke's death. The boy was more than just his student; he was a reminder of his oath to his friends, just as the rest of his team was. He'd sworn long ago that he would never allow something like this to happen ever again. After he had lost Rin and Obito, he vowed that he would never abandon his comrades like he almost did so many years ago. And now...

"Kakashi!" barked Zabuza as he charged the Copy-nin, his Kubikiri Hocho drawn and poised to strike. "I'd stay focused if I were you!"

Rage and anguish welling up within him, Kakashi nimbly ducked underneath the sword's swing and lashed out with his foot, nailing it's wielder with a well-aimed and powerful kick to the stomach. Zabuza doubled over from the blow, and then was dealt a wicked uppercut to the chin that caused his head to snap backwards, blood streaming through the air in a high arc. Painfully regaining his balance, the nuke-nin swung at Kakashi once more, only to meet with empty air. Before he could even attempt to search for his opponent, he felt a vice-like grip latch onto his neck and heard the _swish_ of a pair of kunai spinning through the air. "Look at you," growled Kakashi tauntingly from behind the rogue ninja, "you're falling apart at the seams. I knew you didn't have what it takes for the long haul. Game over then, you lose."

"What did you say?!" bellowed Zabuza, narrowing his eyes in rage. "I'll split you in half!" His thoughts clouded by anger, the nuke-nin flipped his sword over and swung it at Kakashi, its point about to bury itself in his back. With agility to rival a cat's, the Copy-nin leapt high into the air, just as the blade passed over the spot he'd been in seconds ago, and loosed both of his kunai at his opponent. The knives both struck true and impaled themselves deep within a pair of pressure points in his arms, rendering them inert and useless. Unable to keep hold of his massive blade, the sword clattered to the ground, a useless tool.

"Now your arms are useless," Kakashi said as he landed cat-like by Naruto's side. "What now? You can't even make hand seals." Ignoring Zabuza for a moment, Kakashi over at Naruto, who was glaring at Zabuza for all it was worth. Judging by the look in his eyes, the boy was full of nothing but contempt and rage for the nuke-nin. He knew he had to be careful, not knowing what state the seal was in after that last burst of incredible power. "Naruto? Are you alright?"

"No, I'm far from alright," growled the blonde angrily as he glared at Zabuza.

"Well, well, well," said a voice off to the right. All eyes immediately fell on a short man with frizzy grey hair and black sunglasses, surrounded by a small army of sinister-looking mercenaries, each obviously out for blood and holding what looked to be automatic machine-guns. From the looks of the firearms, Naruto ventured a guess that most of them were Thompsons, quite fitting for the mobster aire the men projected. The midget of a man worn a black, silk business suit and had a cast on his right arm. "Did quite a job on ya, didn't he Zabuza? You look like yesterday's _sashimi_. 'That brat Haku still alive? I owe him for what the little freak did to my arm!"

"Gatou!" snarled Zabuza in irritation. "Why are you here? And why bring all these thugs along with you?"

"Heh," chuckled the diminutive gangster grimly as he tapped his cane on the concrete. "There's been a slight change in plans. According to the new plan, you die right here on this bridge, along with those other ninja and the bridge builder." Behind his sunglasses, the little man's eyes twinkled gleefully as he watched Zabuza's own eyes widen in horror and realization. He'd been double-crossed! "That's right, you're too expensive Zabuza, so I'm cutting my losses and taking you off the payroll. Of course, these clowns I brought along don't come cheap, so if you can manage to slaughter a few of them, I'd appreciate it. Think you can do that 'Demon of the Mist'? Heh, look at you, you look about as demonic as a drowned kitten!" At that, he and the thugs behind him had themselves a hearty laugh at the nuke-nin's expense.

"Well, Kakashi," glowered Zabuza, still irritated by Gatou's taunts, "it looks as though our fight has come to an end. As I am no longer in Gatou's employ, Tazuna is safe. We have no quarrel any longer."

"You may not have a quarrel with Kakashi-sensei, but you've got one with me," snarled Naruto angrily, unsheathing his plasma claws as he spoke. Kakashi thought of telling him to settle down, but the look in the boy's eyes was enough to convince him otherwise. "You disgust me Zabuza," the blonde continued. "After all that Haku did for you, you just write him off as one of your losses. You two spent all those years together and in the end he meant nothing to you, right?!"

"You're right," Zabuza replied in his usual monotone. "I merely used him, just as Gatou used me. Now his usefulness has reached its end. Yes, I mourn for the loss of his strength and skill; but for the boy himself, I feel nothing."

Naruto snarled audibly, flexing his clawed hands in irritation and anger. "If you really mean that," he growled, "then you're even lower than I thought before! After all he did for you... that boy lived for you! You meant everything to him, but he meant nothing to you?! While he sacrificed everything for you, you felt nothing for him?! He threw his life away, and for what? For you and your dream?! You never let him have dreams or ambitions of his own, but he didn't care all. And in the end, you toss him aside like a broken tool, that's got to be the most heartless thing I've ever heard of."

Having said his piece, Naruto silently awaited for Zabuza to respond in some way. He at least thought he'd tell him he was to young to understand, or something along those lines. However, what the man did surprised him. As stood there, his acute hearing picked up the sound of water falling somewhere close by. To his surprise and disbelief, the sound was coming from Zabuza... he was crying. "You talk too much," said the nuke-nin calmly. Indeed, he truly was crying tears of genuine sorrow and remorse as he spoke, sadness and regret staining his voice. "Your words cut deep, far deeper than any blade. While he fought you, his heart was breaking. You see, Haku was always too soft and too kind. He felt pain and sorrow, and now, curse him, I feel them as well! And something else... I feel content that _this_ is the way it ends."

As everyone stood there and watched, Zabuza proceeded to bite and tear through the gauze around his mouth that had once served as his mask. Once he had finished and the bandages had fallen away, those around him gasped in a mixture of both amazement and awe at what was underneath. Gatou had assumed that something demonic lurked behind those bandages, but he was wrong. Despite the fact that his teeth were somewhat shark-like, the face beneath those bandages was human! "Well, are you all so shocked to find that I'm human?" asked Zabuza in amusement, his face fully visible for all to see. "All shinobi, no matter how hard we try and hide it or escape from it, are still human." His eyes full of renewed purpose and vigor, he turned to Naruto nodded understandingly. "Boy," he said to him, "lent me one of your kunai. There's one last thing that needs tending to before I die here."

Naruto gave a silent nod of understanding and began to take a kunai from his _ningu_ holster. However, before he could throw the knife to Zabuza, something caught his attention. His nigh superhuman hearing had picked up the sound of footfalls coming from behind them. Wary for a second, he then relaxed and flashed his foxy grin as he got wind of the newcomer's scent. _'Heh, took him long enough,'_ he thought as he turned to face their new ally. "So, you finally showed up, eh? What took you so damn long?"

"I had to retrieve some vital equipment from my safe house," a gruff voice responded. "Besides, you're a tough kid. I knew you could take care of yourself until I got here." Curious as to whom Naruto was talking to so casually, both Kakashi and Zabuza turned their attention to the man who had just joined them. Immediately, they were amazed and offset by what they saw.

The man before them stood about six feet tall with piercing grey eyes, cold and merciless as the sea. He was garbed in a jet-black bodysuit with a large white belt around his waist, combat boots, white gloves, and a flowing leather trench coat. However, it was the emblem on his chest that un-nerved them the most: an ivory skull that grinned at them maliciously So frightening the symbol that even Gatou's thugs held their breath in sheer terror at the sight of the sinister Death's Head. In the man's gloved hands was a modified M16 .223 automatic rifle, outfitted with a grenade-launcher on the barrel and an ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight). On his belt was a 14-round, 9mm Browning automatic pistol. Kakashi had heard Naruto tell stories about this man during their training, and grimaced in memory of them. This man was an ex-Marine turned ruthless vigilante, wanted by every major law-enforcement agency for questioning about his involvement in the disappearances of a large number of high-ranking Mafiosi dons and other well-known criminals.

Before them stood one of the most feared men in the criminal underworld, a man who had devoted his entire being to killing the wicked and the corrupt, and waging a brutal one-man war on crime. His name was Frank Castle, but to his enemies, to the world, he was known and revered as... the Punisher.

* * *

"N-n-no," the thug to Gatou's left stammered in fear and disbelief, pointing at the Punisher with eyes wide in terror. The poor fool was shaking so much that he almost dropped his Tommy gun. "It's not possible! Y-y-y-you can't be real! You're only supposed to be a myth!"

"Heh, I've heard that one before," Frank said darkly as he casually walked up to Naruto and Kakashi, leveling his M16 at the thugs menacingly. "The thing is clowns like you don't live long enough to say it twice." He then directed his attention to Naruto and Kakashi, who in turn, gave him their full attention as well. "Looks to me like we've got the same objective here: we all want Gatou dead. I think that justifies a temporary partnership."

Naruto nodded his head in agreement. "I think so too, Frank," he agreed honestly as he surveyed the sheer mass of hired thugs before them. He was confident that Zabuza could take out Gatou, but the remaining thugs would be a problem, one with a lot of firepower behind it. There was no denying that Castle's experience in modern warfare and his skill with firearms would give them a considerable edge over the small army that lay before them.

"Do what you will," snarled Zabuza in irritation, "but Gatou is _mine_!" Frank looked at the nuke-nin hard for a moment, sizing him up and considering every possible angle for achieving his objective. Though his arms were of no use to him now, the man seemed bent on taking his vengeance on the midget mobster, something Castle knew about all too well. Finally, a look of grim seriousness came over his face and he gave his ultimatum.

"Fine," agreed the vigilante reluctantly. "He's all yours, on one condition: you tell me everything you know about his organization and its activities when this is all over. Got it?" Zabuza gave him the faintest of nods and then turned back to the task at hand. His eyes radiated an insane amount of killer intent, and his gaze never wavering from Gatou as he glared at the man before him. If he was to die here, then he would die having done something right for a change. That, and he refused to go down without taking that little rat with him first!

"Sakura, Tazuna!" Kakashi hollered over his shoulder. "Take Sasuke's body and find some cover, quick! There's about to be a lot of bullets flying, and I don't want either of you getting hit. Now, go!" Sakura and Tazuna both complied with his orders and gathered up Sasuke's still body. Though she would've rather helped Naruto and the others, Sakura knew she had absolutely no experience with guns, and it would be best for her to stick with Tazuna. Giving them one, last, reluctant glance over her shoulder, she and Tazuna ducked by behind a pile of nearby steel girders with Sasuke's corpse.

"Alright," Naruto said as he dramatically unsheathed his plasma claws. "Zabuza, here's the plan: Frank, Kakashi-sensei, and I will cover for you while you take care of Gatou. The rest is up to you." With that, he tossed the nuke-nin his kunai and readied himself to attack. Zabuza snatched the knife out of the air with his teeth, and then ran headlong towards the diminutive mobster as the little man swiftly ducked behind his private army of thugs. As he weaved in-between the mercenary's, Gatou was desperately shouting at them, ordering them to kill everyone. The thugs complied with his demands and readied their weapons, setting their sights on the approaching nuke-nin.

"I thought you X-Men didn't kill," Punisher said as he chambered a round in his M16 and dropped into a firing crouch behind a nearby crate, raising his sight to eye-level. Kakashi took up a position beside him and readied a handful of kunai.

"Yeah, we don't," Naruto confirmed with a foxy grin as he brought his claws up to a firing position. "But that doesn't mean I can't maim 'em a little. Besides, I've wanted to tryout this new jutsu I created while we were working on the tree-climbing exercise." Kakashi was just about to ask what Naruto was talking about, when Gatou's men suddenly opened fire on the approaching Zabuza. Their shots bit painfully into his already useless arms and shoulders as he bobbed and weaved around their line of fire, continuing forward all the while. He faltered only once when a shot splintered his left femur, but other than that he surged ahead with intense purpose, ignoring the shots that clipped and grazed him as he went.

One of the thugs in the front raised his AK-47 at the nuke-nin and unleashed a full round at him, a starburst pattern erupting from its muzzle. From the opposite side of the bridge, a thunderous shot rang out and a moment later the thug stiffened and dropped his piece, which clattered uselessly to the pavement followed by his lifeless corpse. In the center of his forehead was a small, smoking hole, barely visible to the naked eye; however, the back of his skull was blown wide-open in a gaping hole that revealed the spot where his brain would've normally sat. Punisher's aim struck the next five thugs with the accuracy of a seasoned sniper, his Hollowpoint bullets rupturing their skulls like watermelons, painting the pavement red with their brains, blood, and grey-matter. The M16 roared to life once more, striking the thug who had recognized Frank earlier. The merc dropped lifelessly to the ground, his heart blown clean out of his chest in a thousand pieces of bloody gore.

"Heh, told him," growled the Punisher as he continued to rain death down upon the remaining mercenaries, who had diverted most of their attention on returning the vigilante's fire.

To his left, Naruto grimaced slightly as he watched Frank dispense the thugs with relative ease. The emotionless look on the seasoned vigilante's face as he effortlessly slaughtered the thugs was almost inhuman. Pushing these thoughts out of his mind and focusing on the task at hand, Naruto took advantage of the opening in the line-of-fire and leapt on top of a crate in front of him, leveling his claws at the men as he prepared his new jutsu. Having gained better control over his chakra, Naruto discovered that he could channel chakra into his claws for a variety of effects. The more potent being the ability to make the chakra unstable to the point of combustion, with the amount of chakra resulting in how much time it took for them to detonate

"_**Kami Hanabi **_(Divine Fireworks)_**!**_" Naruto roared as he launched his chakra-fueled claws at the thugs. Just before reaching the trigger-happy men, the claws shattered and exploded in a blast of energy and force, similar to a Flash-Bang grenade. Those closest to the blasts were knocked clean off their feet, their faces charred and their clothes set violently ablaze. The thugs screamed in agony and terror as they tried to extinguish the fire on their sleeves and pant legs, the ensuing confusion making them easy prey for Punisher's M16 and Kakashi's kunai. Using this jutsu with their combined efforts, the three men quickly dispatched a majority of the thugs with surprising speed and efficiency.

As Naruto and his friends continued to slaughter Gatou's mercenaries, Zabuza finally reached the forefront to their defensive line and went to work with his own weapon. His arms now useless, he used the kunai in his mouth to hack and slash at the gun-totting thugs when he got close, still rushing forward all the while. One of the men spotted him and fired off a round that struck near one of his vitals. The nuke-nin grunted in mortal pain, but continued his pace, taking the time to expertly slice through his assailant's jugular. It was soon that he neared the back of the mercenary's tightly packed formation, and it was then that he spotted Gatou, still running for his life like sniveling coward he was.

Nearing the end the bridge's current construction, Gatou was sure that he was safe from Zabuza's wrath and took a moment to catch his breath, the run having winded him. That breath was caught in his throat as a moment later, Zabuza burst through the line of men and rushed towards him with killer intent. As Gatou looked on in terror, Zabuza seemed to change before his very eyes, becoming the ghastly, sinister demon of his namesake. The demon man's eyes burned red with hatred and inhuman rage as he bore down on the frightened mobster. _'H-h-he's the Devil!!'_ Gatou's mind shrieked in terror.

It was then that Zabuza struck the little man with incredible force, his kunai puncturing his left lung. As Gatou staggered backwards, he slashed upwards, cutting a razor-thin line across his throat which sprayed blood in his face. Ignoring the warm liquid obscuring his right eye, the nuke-nin slammed into him again, this time rupturing the man's liver with surprising accuracy. Then, rearing back and dropping into a low crouch, Zabuza shot upwards and dealt the final blow, plunging the kunai deep into his black, little heart. The force from the hit was so powerful that it sent Gatou sailing over the edge of the bridge and into the murky drink below.

Satisfied that his work was finished, Zabuza finally allowed himself to collapse to in a broken, bloody heap on the ice cold concrete. Behind him, Naruto, Kakashi, and the Punisher finished picking off any of the remaining mercenaries. It was finally over... they'd won.

* * *

**Whew, man that chapter took a long time to write. Well, what a fight, huh? Okay, for those of you how are wondering why Naruto won't kill, look at his upbringing. Sure his father was Wolverine, but he was raised on the teachings of Professor X. Anyhow, now that the Punisher has entered the mix, its a whole new ball-game! Don't tune out just yet True Believers, because this is just the beginning. Next time, join Team 7 as they discover the truth behind Gatou's operation, bid Zabuza fair-well, and see to their fallen teammate. You won't want to miss a second! Remember to R&R.**


	11. 11 There and Back Again

**Greetings once again, True Believers! Alright, here's where everything in the Land of Waves comes to fruition. We'll get to see the reason for Punisher's envolvement in the first place, Sasuke's condition, and the passing of Zabuza. Plus, there's also a special surprise instore for you in here as well. What is it you may ask? Well, read on and find out...**

* * *

**Chapter 11: There and Back Again.**

Darkness. All he saw was an endless void of darkness and despair, enveloping him and consuming him from the inside out. It was almost as though it was alive, beckoning him deeper and deeper into it's gaping, hungry maw. Though his body was heavy and weary from battle, he forced himself to awake, to break through the gloomy darkness and into the light of day. As his eyes slowly fluttered open, he was rightly puzzled by what he saw before him. He was lying prostrate on his back, staring weakly at the hazy sky above him with confusion in his soul. The violent, thunderous sounds of heavy gunfire reached his still ringing ears and he turned his head in their direction, only to see a high wall of grey steel girders blocking his view of the chaotic battle that lay beyond them. It was then that he heard another noise; it sounded like someone was crying. Then, in sudden realization, he knew in the back of his mind that he recognized that voice, and that pained him greatly to hear her of all people cry.

"S-S-Sakura-chan," Sasuke said wearily as looked up at her. Sakura had been kneeling over him as she and Tazuna took cover from the firefight behind them, carefully pulling the icy senbon from his body as she continued to cry over his 'loss'. However, the second she heard him speak her name, she started for a moment in surprise, then looked down at him with a mixed look of shock, joy, ad relief on her face. "W-w-why are you crying?" he asked her.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried out joyously as she carefully lifted his shoulders off the pavement and hugged him closely, fearing she'd loss him again if she let go. It was a miracle, he was alive! She couldn't believe it! If this was a dream, then she didn't want to wake up _ever! _She couldn't now, nor ever again, stand to live in a world without him there for her. "Oh, Sasuke-kun!" she said again happily, this time crying tears of joy instead of sorrow. Then she added softly over his shoulder, assuming he couldn't hear her, _"I can't believe you almost died without me telling you."_

"Telling me what?" he questioned a bit confused, causing her to suddenly let got of him and blush profusely in embarrassment. She was about to tell him a quick cover story, but she never got around to it. Sasuke looked up at her and in that moment, nothing else seemed to matter anymore. As long as he was there with her, nothing else mattered.

As they held one another in their eyes for a moment, Tazuna looked at the two of them with a smile on his face. Maybe, just maybe, his sudden brush with death had shown Sasuke that there were more things to live for than just vengeance. He sure seemed happy enough when Sakura had hugged him like she had a moment ago. _'Well, well, looks like everything's worked out in the end,'_ he thought happily as he watched Sakura help Sasuke to his feet, before Punisher's M16 roared to life once more beyond the barricade. _'Okay, __almost__ everything.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, as Sasuke was returning from the grave, Zabuza was nearing it himself. With the last of the thugs ruthlessly done in by the Punisher's M16, all became as still and as quiet as the early morning. Looking up at the sky, Zabuza could almost swear that he saw Haku's image floating carefree and finally at peace amongst the clouds that had gathered above on the overcast day. Thinking back to all of the times they had shared with one another, Zabuza's already failing heart was filled with sadness and regret for how he had treated the boy over the years. He had always stood by him, and now he was gone from him forever. _'Haku, I suppose that his is goodbye. Not once did I ever thank you. Please... forgive me for that.' _Just then, the sounds of soft footfalls reached his ears and he turned to see Naruto, Kakashi, and the Punisher standing over him victoriously. "'Sounds like it's finally over," he observed wearily.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Naruto replied morosely, willing his plasma claws to dissipate as he spoke.

"Hey, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei!" shouted Sakura's voice from behind them. In unison, both Naruto and Kakashi quickly turned around expecting another adversary, only to see Sasuke standing beside Sakura and Tazuna with a tired look on his face. "Look, its Sasuke-kun! He's okay! He's alive"

Naruto couldn't believe his eyes! How was this possible, unless... Then, he remembered what Haku had said to they earlier in ice dome. _"I can't help but prefer the two of you not force me to kill you."_ So, he really didn't want to kill them after all, but instead used his knowledge of pressure points to put Sasuke into a death-like state, just as he'd done with Zabuza. "Heh," Naruto grinned happily, giving his friendly rival a thumbs-up. "Welcome back, teme."

On any other day, Sasuke would've pounded him for calling him that. But, considering what the both of them had just been through, he decided he'd let it slide... this time. Truth be told, he was genuinely relieved to see that everyone had made it out alive. "Hmph," he grunted, the faintest of smirks on his face as he returned the blonde's gesture. "Good to be back, dobe."

"Well, well," Kakashi thought aloud as he breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Sasuke alive. "Would you look at that? Will wonders never cease?" Then in the back of his mind he added, _'I sincerely hope not.'_

Ignoring the others all together, Zabuza painfully turned his head in the Punisher's direction and gave the skull-clad man a hard stare. "I think that I owe you some information now, don't I?" he asked nonchalantly after a moment. Frank nodded silently as he knelt down to the injured man's level, his heavy leather trench coat brushing the stony pavement as he did so. "Well then, I'll tell you everything you want to know about what I gleaned on Gatou's organization for the brief time I was in his employ."

"Go ahead," Frank urged in emotionless monotone. As the once nuke-nin began to speak, the Punisher silently thumbed a button on the tape-recorder he'd clipped to his belt before the fighting had started. Anything he learned from Zabuza was vital to his campaign against his adversary, so he wasn't going to leave anything to chance. He had to be sure he collected every word the man said, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Microchip would be able to use it later to help him gather more Intel on him for future reference to his Crime Files archive.

"While Haku and I stayed in Gatou's private compound," Zabuza began wearily, thinking back to the first day that they had been hired by the midget mobster, "I had Haku meticulously monitor all that went on in there. Seeing as his security was less than exceptional, it was a fairly easy task to undertake, so I too decided to see what I could learn about my employer and his 'clients'. Apparently, he'd been utilizing the Land of Waves as the main nerve-center for his overseas smuggling operations for quite some time. Drugs, weapons, contraband, and even rare exotic animals were on the list of valuables he had smuggled into and out of the Five Great Nations. Then, about two months back in his shipping and financial records, I found that he had been dealing with a mysterious new client from far outside of the Elemental Nations. The client's main headquarters was based in North America, and went by the corporate name of _**Fisk Enterprises.**_"

Upon hearing the name of the Kingpin's hated corporation, Naruto stiffened slightly in frustrated irritation. He and some of the X-Men had had run-ins with Fisk's thugs in the past, and every time the fat man's ruthless and gut-wrenching activities made him sick. The gangs he had under his oversized thumb were nothing but merciless cretins who blindly obeyed Fisk no matter what he told them. The gang wars that went on between his faction and the Maggia Crime Syndicate were bloody and meaningless, resulting the deaths of countless innocents in the crossfire. Remembering to keep his emotions in check, Naruto suppressed his memories and anger for later as Zabuza continued with his story.

"Once I read the name and saw where the shipments were coming from," the man continued, "I became curious as to what they were shipping and where it was headed. So, about a week ago, Haku and I silently slipped out of the compound and went down to the docks to investigate. Carefully looking through a few of the crates, we found a number of advanced weaponry and equipment that looked as though it were crafted by madmen. Even stranger, we found a few of the crates that contained nothing but seemingly useless nick-knacks and bric-a-brac, things you'd find in a museum or an old warehouse. However, some of the items irradiated an odd power, like they were alive or something."

"Where was it all headed?" Punisher questioned adamantly, a look of concern on his face as he spoke. With a vast shipload of advanced weaponry and possibly mystic artifacts, whoever this mysterious buyer was could do a large amount of damage in a small amount of time.

"The logs said they were being shipped somewhere inland," Zabuza replied weakly, a small trickle of blood streaming out of his mouth. "I believe it was going to some recently established lesser nation, called the Land of Sound or something like that. The way Gatou spoke of it in his records, it seemed as though he was to be greatly repaid by both parties for his services. Anyway, that's all I found out while I was there. The records are still kept in his private compound on the Southwest side of the island, nestled in a large tree house surrounded by miles of thick swampland. If you need more information, then I suggest that you look there."

"I think I may just do that," Frank said gruffly as he released the button on his tape-recorder and silently rose to his feet. For a moment, he considered ending Zabuza's life right then and there, his right hand drifting slowly to the holster where his Browning sat tucked out of sight. However, knowing that the ninja had been shot in a series of vital spots during the firefight earlier, he decided there was no point in it. Besides, he was an honorable man, and in some way he actually respected Zabuza, even though he was still considered a wanted criminal. "Thanks for the info," he sighed heavily, then without a word, he turned and silently strode away from the group.

"Take care Frank," Naruto called after him as he walked back towards the island. "See ya around." As if to wave 'goodbye', The Punisher wordlessly hefted his gleaming M16 onto his right shoulder as he slowly began to sink from view in the distance.

"Is he always like that?" Kakashi wondered aloud as he watched the black-clad vigilante leave.

"Yeah, he is," smirked the young X-Man as he turned his attention back to his sensei and Zabuza. "Frank's had a really hard life ever since the mob murdered his family. He usually prefers to keep to himself and rarely teams-up with anyone unless the situation calls for it, or if it's unavoidable. That and not many heroes agree with his... questionable methods of dealing with criminals. What happened here was probably a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

"I see," said the Copy-nin as he finally lowered his hitai-ite to cover his Sharingan eye. It was finally over. With Gatou out of the picture and Tazuna safe, their mission was nearing its end. Just then, much to everyone's surprise, something completely unexpected happened: _it began to snow_. As everyone looked on in awe, the softest blanket of snowflakes began to float down delicately from the hazy clouds above. Almost immediately, all those beneath its gentle touch felt an overwhelming sense of peace and comfort. Fighting was forgotten, and differences were pushed aside as it seemed that Jack Frost had decided to pay the Land of Waves an early visit this year.

"It's... so beautiful," Sakura said softly from where she stood with Tazuna and the still recovering Sasuke.

"He told me," Naruto said breathlessly as he stared up at the snow-filled sky, remembering what Haku had said about his home, "it was always snowing where he lived."

"Of course," Kakashi said understandingly as he looked up at the sky along with his student. "His spirit was as pure as the first snow of winter."

As they watched the snow drift slowly down from the clouds, Zabuza watched it all through tear-filled eyes, the pain and remorse he felt in his heart for his lost pupil eating him up inside. Haku had given him so much, and he had ever asked for anything in return, only to be loved and be precious to someone once more. Yes, he truly was a saint, a pure soul in the company of the lowest and worst of Hell's demons. What had he done to deserve such a pupil, such a kind-hearted friend? _'Is it you, Haku?'_ he wondered as he watched the snowflakes fall, sorrow plaguing his already heavy soul. _'Are you weeping?'_

"You were always by my side, Haku," he continued aloud, not caring who heard him now. He was nearing his time, so it didn't matter to him one bit what anyone thought about him anymore. In the end, he would only have one regret in his heart as he departed from this world to the next. "My only regret is that I couldn't be by _your_ side in the end. I know that it cannot be but, I wish that I too could go to where you have gone. Oh, how I wish that I could join you there... Haku."

Feeling a twinge of sympathy for the broken man as he slowly began to fade from the world of the living, Naruto knelt by Zabuza's side, Kakashi watching over him in an almost fatherly manner. "You never know, Zabuza," the blonde said compassionately as he looked up once more at the falling snow, the nuke-nin following his gaze with his own teary eyes. "Maybe, you will join him there… who's to say?"

* * *

**Five Days Later…**

Things in the Land of Waves had calmed down a bit ever since Zabuza's passing. Following the monumental defeat of Gatou's thugs and the Punisher's sudden departure, Inari and Tsunami came rushing to the bridge with the entire village in tow. Apparently, Inari had convinced everyone that if total strangers were willing to risk themselves to take on Gatou and his criminal empire, the so could they. However, by the time they all reached the bridge, all of the fighting was over and Zabuza's spirit had left him. After he had died and was buried honorably, life when back to normal for the most part. Sasuke was given time to recover from his injuries, Naruto had to explain to Kakashi about his and Sakura's true nature as mutants (which he seemed to be alright with), and the bridge to the mainland had finally been finished, and at a much smoother pace than before. But now, as the bridge's construction was complete, it seemed like Team 7's stay in the village had reached its end. Even though he was genuinely happy to be going home, Naruto felt as though things there were somewhat... unfinished.

As he mulled over all that had happened in his mind, he looked out over the distant horizon. At the moment, he and the rest of Team 7 were standing at the top of a picturesque hill that overlooked the sleepy village below. They had gone there to take on last look at the city before they left for Konohagakure. Nostalgia tugging at the back of his mind, Naruto looked off to his right at the peaceful little spot where they had laid Zabuza to rest, his great Kubikiri Hocho impaling the soft earth to mark his gravesite. After the battle, Haku's corpse was never found, but Naruto felt the boy deserved to be beside the person he found precious to him in the end, and had fashioned a small wooden cross as his grave marker, laying it beside Zabuza's own grave. "Is that really it, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as he cast the gravesites one last glance and followed his team back down the hill's winding path to the completed bridge. "Is that really the shinobi way? To be tools that are tossed aside in the end, like we don't even matter?"

"... All shinobi are merely tools in the hands of destiny," Kakashi finally said as they walked, feeling somewhat regretful for having to break this harsh truth to them at such a young age. It was sad, but this was the life a shinobi led. "There's really no point in questioning whether it's right or wrong... it just _is_, the same way it is in Konohagakure."

"Well, if you ask me, that's just crazy," the young X-Man rebutted, a little frustrated by what he was hearing. "Is that the reason why we train the way we do? Just so we can end up like them." On that last sentence, he jerked his head back in the direction of Zabuza and Haku's grave markers.

"What's the purpose in that?" Sasuke asked, he himself wanting to know why they did what they did as shinobi. Ever since his near-death experience at the hands of Haku, he had become less of a distant loner and had started to really connect with the rest group as a whole. He was even beginning to show somewhat of an interest in Sakura, a fact that she was quite pleased by.

"That's a question without an answer," Kakashi replied solemnly, know all to well that he himself had asked himself that same question many times before. Try as he might, he had yet to figure it out himself, and maybe there truly was no real answer at all. "It's one that we shinobi have to deal with everyday of our lives, like Zabuza and Haku did."

"You know," Naruto said introspectively, remembering the words of an old friend, "someone once told me that we make our own destinies, that it's a path we all have the choice of following. If that's the case, then I'm glad that I'm following my own path. One that's straight and true with no regrets and one devoid of senseless bloodshed."

For a moment, Kakashi had the same reaction as both Sasuke and Sakura. They were all genuinely surprised at the maturity of his words and the unwavering confidence with which they were spoken. As he watched the young X-Man walk beside his two friends, Kakashi saw something in Naruto that reminded him of someone from his past, someone that he would never forget. That person had trained him, made him who he was today, and taught him to never be simply a pawn of fate. _'Naruto, you sounded just like your father for a moment,'_ he thought with a veiled smile. _'Minato-sensei would be so proud to see how you've grown. I just know it.'_

* * *

Upon reaching the bridge, Team 7 was surprised to see that the whole village had turned out to see them off. As soon as they came into sight, everyone present began to cheer and applaud them, like they were some kind of heroes or something. A bit embarrassed by this extravagant fanfare, they decided to be polite and gave them a slight wave as they slowly approached the huge crowd. Once they reached the crowd, there were a few moments of heart-felt thanks, generous hand-shakes, and even a pat on the back from some of the community's older members. "We can't thank you enough," said Tazuna truthfully as they prepared to leave. "Our entire nation owes you a great debt of gratitude."

"Now, now," smiled Kakashi modestly as he adjusted his backpack, "we were more than happy to help. It's what we do."

Naruto knelt down to Inari's level and put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. Even though he did his best in hiding it, Naruto knew the boy was trying not to cry as he watched his new friends leave. In the short time he'd known him, Inari had come to think of Naruto as a big-brother of sorts. "Bye Inari," said the blonde regretfully, "take care of your grandpa okay?"

"(Sniffle) Okay Naruto," Inari replied sincerely, wiping his eyes. "And I promise, no more crying... unless I'm happy that is, right?"

"That's right," Naruto said, flashing his foxy grin as he slid on his cyber-visor. "Don't worry, I'll come visit you as soon as I get the chance."

"Take care now," Tsunami called after them as they turned to leave. It seemed kind of fitting, that they would be the first ones to use the new bridge to cross over to the mainland. In everyone's opinion, after everything they'd done for the Land of Waves and her people the honor belonged them. "They really are heroes, aren't they?"

"They sure are mom," Inari agreed as he watched his new friends disappear over the horizon as the sun rose, beckoning the new day to begin. Just then, something struck him that he cursed himself for not thinking of earlier. "Hey grandpa, I just realized something! The bridge doesn't have a name yet!"

"You know Inari, I thought of the same thing yesterday when we finished construction," Tazuna replied with a slight chuckle. "At first I proposed that it be called, 'The Great Naruto Bridge'. But, then I remembered what Naruto had said about your father being a hero, and of how much the boy reminded me of him as well. So in the end, I think that the name I finally came up with fits the bridge quite well."

"Well, what'd you name it?" asked Inari excitedly. A smile on his face, Tazuna pointed to a gleaming bronze plaque that had been screwed into one of the columns of the structure's main archway. It was positioned directly at eye-level, so that all who walked the bridge's path would be able to read it and know its name. At first Inari tried in vain to read it himself, but he was to short, seeing as it had been placed just high enough to be read by an adult. So, Tazuna picked up his grandson and plopped him down on his shoulders, effectively making him tall enough to read it. Once he saw what it said, Inari smiled like he hadn't in a long time. Still perched on his grandfather's shoulders, he swiveled his head in the direction that he'd last seen Team 7 heading. _'Thanks Naruto, thanks for every thing.'_

The gleaming plaque read as follows:

_The Kaiza Memorial Bridge._

_Dedicated in honor of those who gave their all to accomplish their dreams._

* * *

On the opposing end of the bridge, hidden atop the entering archway and out sight, another pair of watchful eyes was observing Team 7's epic departure from the Land of Waves. The figure looked on with a renewed sense of interest as Naruto and his friends made their way home, pondering his own undetermined future as it secretly watched their's unfold before them like an open book. These past few weeks had been a perilous trial for both of them, even if Naruto hadn't seen it as clearly as he had. At first he had been hesitant and had avoided the boy for fear of compromising all he had been taught. But after meeting with Naruto and getting to know him a little better as a person, he decided things in this world weren't as frivolous as he had first thought.

Flashing an unseen smile to the blonde as he and his friends left for Konohagakure, the figure stood and turned to face his own destiny, which he felt lie somewhere to the far West. He knew his broken wrist would be a slight hindrance as he traveled to his new destination, but he knew that it would heal with time, like all things did. Just as his saddened heart had managed to heal with the regretful passing of his mentor. Casting Naruto one final glance, to satisfy his growing sense of nostalgia, he leapt from the high archway and landed softly on the ground below with the uncanny grace of a cat, then silently went on his way.

"Who knows Naruto," Haku whispered with a sincere, friendly smile, before vanishing wraith-like in a frigid gust of wind and snow. "Maybe our paths will cross again... some day."

* * *

**Well, would you look at that? Looks like Haku survived his encounter with the _Raikiri_ after all. What does his existance mean for the Naruto and Marvel universes? We'll just have to wait and see I guess. Now, don't clock out just yet True Believers, because next time things get really interesting. Now that there are mutants in Konohagakure, there's going to have to be someone to train them, isn't there? Stay tuned as we bear witness to a monumental event that will greatly shape the future of Konoha! Also, remember to R&R as well. _EXCELSIOR!_**


	12. 12 A League of Their Own

**Hello again True Believers! It took some doing, but Chapter 12 is finally up and ready to go. Now, when we last left Team 7, they were headed back home after successfully putting an end to Gatou's criminal empire and linking his organization's activities to the Kingpin. What this means for the village, only time can tell. However, something big is about to happen in Konohagakure that will spell change for all of the Elemental Nations! What is this event you may ask? Well, read on to find out...**

* * *

**Chapter 12: A League of Their Own.**

**Two Days after leaving the Land of Waves...**

Naruto wearily yawned for the third time that morning as he and Team 7 continued down the long, winding, forest path that led to Konohagakure no Sato. All of them had risen bright and early that morning, each one as anxious as the other to return to the village after having been gone for as long as they had. It felt like an eternity since they had seen their home, so they were determined to reach the village as soon as humanly possible. By Kakashi's projections, they would reach the village gates by mid-day, around 12:30 or earlier. Tapping the side of his cyber-visor, Naruto casually keyed up the lenses' HUD (Heads Up Display) that splayed out on the interior of his visor like a miniature computer monitor. It was now 11:55, only 35 minutes until they reached the village.

"Hey, Naruto," Sakura said from off to his right, causing him to start for a second. Remembering he was still with his team, the blonde stealthily clicked off his visor's HUD and gave the pink-haired kunoichi his full attention. "I was just wondering, who was that guy that showed up at the bridge when we needed back up?"

"Yeah, who was he anyhow?" Sasuke interjected with a slight grimace, working out an annoying kink in his shoulder as he spoke. "He seemed like pretty powerful guy, taking out as many of those thugs as he did." After he'd regained consciousness, Sasuke had been shocked and amazed at the sheer amount of bloody carnage that he'd seen before him. The very instant he saw the Punisher, he somehow instinctively knew that the vigilante had been the cause of the vast destruction.

Naruto sighed at the memory of the massacre that had taken place just a week ago in the Land of Waves. Their experiences there had been the topic of choice that dominated their conversations as they made their way back home. They had talked about their new powers, the fights they'd gotten into, and the kindness that Tazuna and his family had shown them while they were there. However, this was the first time someone had really thought to ask about the Punisher.

"His name is Frank Castle," Naruto began, remembering the first time his father had told him about the vigilante. "He's one of the most feared men in the criminal underworld, so much so that just the mention of his name makes grown men shudder in terror. In the beginning, he was a normal guy attempting to become a priest. But after he met his wife, everything changed. He joined up with the military and soon became decorated captain in the United States Marine Corps, being awarded the Bronze and Silver Star twice and the Purple Heart four times. Several years after America's involvement in Vietnam ended, he went on leave with his wife and children in Upstate New York. One day, while they were having a little picnic in Central Park in NYC, they came across a mob killing in the Sheep's Meadow green. Fearing witnesses, the mobsters gunned down his entire family and fled the scene."

"Gosh, that's awful," gasped Sakura, covering her mouth with her hand in revulsion. The gruesome images that the story provoked where nothing short of horrid to say the least. What sort of monstrous person will simply kill a family of innocent people in cold blood like that? And what Frank must've have felt, watching his family die right in front of him like that. She couldn't imagine going through something like that again, not after what had almost happened to Sasuke.

Needless to say, she was pleasantly surprised when she felt Sasuke's comforting hand come to rest on her shoulder. Ever since his brush with death in the Land of Waves, he'd become less withdrawn from the group, and began to genuinely open up to them. And, even though he'd never willingly admit it, he'd started to develop feelings for Sakura. Even now as he listened to Frank's story, he couldn't help but find that he identified with what the man had gone through, having experienced the same thing when his clan was murdered. Vengeance and justice were both things that they fought for and had become their life's' goal, with everything else in life taking the backseat on their list of priorities.

"Yeah, it is," Naruto continued, his expression softening visibly as he spoke. "In the end, Frank managed to survive and decided to avenge his family with everything he had at his disposal. Outfitting himself with a number of assorted weapons and his black battlesuit, he began a one-man war on organized crime under the alias of the Punisher. A few months later, he found out the names of the Mafiosi who killed his family and promptly slew them. After that, he elected to continue his campaign on organized crime, in honor of his family."

"Interesting," Sasuke thought aloud as they walked onwards.

"Yeah, Frank's an okay guy," Naruto agreed. "It's just that a lot of other crime fighters find his methods a bit... questionable, to say the least. On the other hand, some people see Frank as a hero, since he does what the police and other law-enforcement agencies only dream of doing. In some ways, he's more of a help to the government than they'd ever realize."

"And what do the X-Men think about his methods?" asked Kakashi intently from behind the three Genin. He knew that Naruto had told him that the X-Men served as a global peace-keeping force to protect both mutants and humanity, so he was curious as to what their views on this man's personal war were.

"Most of the X-Men are against what he's doing, including myself" replied the blonde truthfully, massaging the back of his neck as he spoke. "Xavier-Oij-Sama taught us that we're supposed to show the world that not all mutants are dangerous and out to destroy them, like Apocalypse is. That also means that we shouldn't kill people no matter what they've done as criminals or otherwise."

"Your father seems like he would be at odds with those standards," the Copy-nin interjected, remembering just how savage Wolverine was capable of being.

During the last Great Shinobi War when he'd given Konohagakure aid on the battlefield, Kakashi had seen Logan go into an insane berserker rage and slaughter half an army of skilled Iwa Jounin without even breaking a sweat. The savage look on the man's face as he mercilessly fought and killed all those who stood in his way was still permanently engrained into his mind's eye, a face contorted in animalistic glee and bloodlust that was simply demonic to behold. Even now as they spoke of Naruto's surrogate father, the Copy-nin mentally shuddered at the memory of those bloody days. True, Wolverine was a reliable friend and an invaluable asset in a fight, but he did _not_ want to be on the receiving end of his wrath..._ ever._

"A lot of people think that," Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, having heard a lot of that in the past. "In reality, dad has higher standards than most people think and adheres a pretty firm code of personal honor and morality, his own _nindo_ I guess. Some of his standards have even rubbed off on my own _nindo_ too."

Kakashi nodded in a sort of quiet understanding and decided to drop the subject for now. Even though as a shinobi, he questioned Naruto's standards on killing, he knew that such things would be resolved with time, so it wasn't as important at the moment. As they walked a little further, he looked on as his students continued to talk about their experiences in the Land of Waves. In the back of his mind, he felt that things were about to get much more complicated, not just for his students, but for all of Konohagakure, and that somehow Naruto would be at the heart of it all in the end.

* * *

Half an hour later, the massive, gated walls of Konohagakure came into view. Looming high above the lush forest canopy like a great mountain plain, the wall and gates had been tirelessly constructed back when the Ichidaime Hokage had established the village, as a kind of secondary line of defense with the surrounding forest serving as the primary frontlines. Even now, as Team 7 passed through the small customs station on the wall's interior, they still felt in awe of the voluminous structure that towered over them. However, this overwhelming feeling was quickly replaced by one of blissful relief and comfort as they turned their gaze to the sprawling piece of suburbia that they were more than proud to call home. From the Shinobi Academy to the bustling marketplace and everything in-between, this was _their_ village, and they wouldn't have it any other way.

"Man," Naruto sighed happily as he took in the sights and sounds of the village in the afternoon. "There's just no place like home, huh?" Despite having grown up in a superhuman prep-school in the United States, Naruto still liked to think that Konohagakure had become like a second home to him. This was where he was born, where his roots lay, and he somehow felt connected to the village and its people the moment he arrived. Even if his first days had been a little rocky at first, he still managed to develop a deep love for the village and those that he'd come to call his friends.

"You've got that right," Sasuke agreed sincerely.

"Okay team," Kakashi said with a tired sigh as he sidled up to the trio of Genin, having finished verifying their identity's with the two Chunin present at customs station. "It looks like we'll have a bit of free-time until we need to report in for active duty again. So, I think it would be best if you took the rest of the day to relax and enjoy yourselves. Just be ready to report in when I call you guys, okay?"

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei," the three Genin responded in enthused unison. With that, all three of them immediately set off in opposite directions, each with their own unique plans for spending their day-off. Sakura was on her way home to tell her family all about what had occurred on her first official mission as a Genin; Sasuke had decided on spending the remainder of the day quietly unwinding back home at the semi-abandoned Uchiha Compound; and Naruto had unceremoniously elected to make a bee-line for Ichiraku Ramen for a few hundred, steaming hot bowels of miso and pork ramen. Having a superhuman metabolism did have its benefits at times. However, just as he was about to race off to the ramen bar, he stopped short as he felt someone place a firm grip on his right shoulder.

"Not so fast there Naruto," Kakashi told the blonde calmly before releasing him. "Don't go running off just yet. I want you to come to Hokage Tower with me to file the report on our mission with Sandaime-sama. I think that you'll be better suited to fill him in on some of the things that went on in the Land of Waves than I will, particularly what happened regarding Sasuke and Sakura's new abilities."

"I understand Kakashi-sensei," Naruto agreed solemnly as he trailed behind the Copy-nin as they made their way to the Tower. Truth be told, he'd sort of been expecting something like this would happen as soon as they got back to the village. Not many people in the Elemental Nations knew of the existence of the mutant populace, so they were still an unknown factor that needed to be explored by those in the shinobi community as well as the human one. Naruto knew from his talks with the Professor that both the Third and Fourth Hokage had worked alongside him and the X-Men in the past, but how much Sarutobi knew about mutants was still unclear.

_'Kyuubi,'_ Naruto said mentally to his demonic partner, _'how do you think this is gonna go?'_

_**'I don't know for sure Kit,'**_ replied the fox truthfully. _**'Sarutobi seems like a pretty level-headed old guy, I'm sure he'll be more excepting of mutants that those morons at the Friends of Humanity. Things are different here than they are in the States. People with special powers are accepted and appreciated for their gifts. If they weren't, then shinobi as a whole would've been hunted to extinction a long time ago.'**_

_'I know that, but...'_ the blonde began before hesitating for a moment. His next question for the fox was one that had been continuously nagging at the back of his mind like an insanely bad itch ever since he first learned Gatou had been dealing with the Kingpin. It was a question of monumental importance, because it didn't just affect his team, but the entire village as well. _'Do you think this would be a good time to suggest-?"_

_**'Xavier's plans?'**_ finished Kyuubi with an amused chuckle, knowing that Naruto hated it when he read his mind like that. _**'I think so. Now that the cards are on the table, maybe it's best to go all in and hope for the best.'**_

_'You're starting to sound like Remy Nii-san,'_ Naruto joked playfully as he proceeded on his way to the Tower. Still, he pondered silently as he took on a more serious frame of mind, if he was to pull this off, he needed to present the idea in an educated and convincing manner. He needed to show Sarutobi that drastic changes were in store for the Elemental Nations, and not all of them were for the better. There was a serious storm brewing on the horizon, and like it or not, Konohagakure needed an edge if they were to weather it and survive intact. They needed... something special.

* * *

Paperwork. There _never_ seemed to be a visible end to it as far as Sarutobi was concerned. Even now as he sat behind his expensive Western-styled desk in the main office of Hokage Tower, he grumbled and fumed at the sheer amount of paperwork that littered his desk like a miniature landfill. If there was one aspect of being Hokage that he managed to despise with the full entirety of his being, it was the never-ending stream of paperwork and forms that flooded his desk everyday. It was little things like this that made him yearn for a bit of action to break up the doldrums of the day.

_'At times like this, I wish Minato was still alive,'_ sighed Sandaime remorsefully as he shuffled a thick stack of verification forms that had required his signature stamp of approval. At least when Minato was alive, things were never as dull as they seemed. That man always knew how to brighten up even the most boring of jobs. Just then, the two-way speaker on his desk squawked noisily to life, startling him out of his memories, which he'd begun to get lost in once again.

"Sandaime-sama," said his secretary in her usual disinterested monotone.

"Yes, what is it Yukihana?" he asked calmly, trying his best to mask the clearly obvious boredom in his voice.

"Kakashi Hatake and Naruto Uzumaki-Howlett are back from their mission and have come to give their report," she droned distantly, a sudden _pop_ signifying she'd burst another bubble of her favorite gum. "Should I send them in?"

"Of course, right away." Upon hearing this, Sarutobi's mood brightened considerably. Ever since he'd returned to officially begin his shinobi training, Naruto had quickly become one of the old man's favorite students at the Academy. The boy's good-natured humor and surprising skills reminded him of Minato when he was a Genin. Needless to say, he was interested in hearing what had occurred on his team's first C-Rank mission. "Ah, welcome back you two," he smiled as Kakashi slid back the _fusuma_ sliding doors and let himself and Naruto in. "I trust your mission when well."

"...Well, it did in a sense Sandaime-sama," Kakashi replied sheepishly. "It turns out that, because of the stressed financial situation of the Land of Waves due to their oppression under the rule of a mobster named Gatou, Tazuna was forced to lie about the true nature of our mission to procure a cheap enough price. What began as a simple C-Rank escort mission, turned into a dangerous A-Rank mission, with shinobi from Kirigakure hot on our trail, all led by the S-Class rogue known as Zabuza Momochi. Not only that, but the first opponents that we faced were two of Kirigakure's most effective Chunin, the Demon Brothers, who deal in berserker-like attacks."

"Hmm," mused Sarutobi as he listened to Kakashi's report with quiet interest and discernment. "Most troubling news indeed."

"Yes it is, Sandaime-sama," the Copy-nin agreed morosely. "At first, I thought it best that we turn back and attempt the mission with a more experienced squad of Jounin. But, my squad was surprisingly adamant that we continue and give the Land of Waves our aid, Naruto here being the loudest in voicing his opinion."

Naruto grinned proudly at that, feeling that in the end, he did the right thing in standing up for what he believed in. Sarutobi nodded in silent understanding and gave the blonde the faintest of smiles. Even if he wasn't back home in America, Naruto was still hell-bent on being a hero and selflessly helping others. No matter what he did as a shinobi, that boy wasn't about to give up on the principles and standards he'd learned from the X-Men and from Wolverine as well. _'He's just like his father was at that age,'_ thought the old Hokage as he turned his attention back to Kakashi, who was still in the middle of giving his report.

"It was hard at first," continued the silver-haired Jounin sincerely, "especially during our encounters with Zabuza. But, my squad proved their mettle and skill time and again as they protected Tazuna. Naruto and Sasuke even managed to put aside their bickering and petty differences long enough to rescue me during our first run-in with Zabuza. I'm deeply ashamed to say that Zabuza managed to catch me off guard and capture me in one of his jutsu. It took my squad's combined efforts to free me from his trap."

"You? Needing to be rescued Kakashi?" laughed Sarutobi heartily as he pictured the situation in his mind. "That hasn't happened since Logan was placed on your squad during the last Great War."

"With all due respect Sandaime-sama," Kakashi reasoned as he began to blush underneath his mask, "Wolverine was the one who started the whole incident in the first place. That aside, our mission was somewhat of a rocky one, but somehow we managed to pull through it. In our final encounter with Zabuza and his skillful apprentice Haku, he was severely wounded, then double-crossed by Gatou. In the end, we were pressed into joining forces with him and a friend of Naruto's called the Punisher in order to bring Gatou down. However, on his dying breath, Zabuza shared some valuable information with us concerning Gatou's underworld dealings with a criminal mastermind from overseas known as the Kingpin. Apparently, they've been shipping weapons and illegal contraband inland to a newly established nation called the Land of Sound."

"Yes, I've heard of the Land of Sound," the Hokage admitted softly as he blew a billowing ring of grey smoke from his ornate wooden pipe. "A number of their Genin have been recommended for participation in this year's upcoming Chunin Exams. Do you suppose that these weapons are being shipped directly to their shinobi village, Otagakure no Sato?"

"That may very well be the case Sandaime-sama," the Copy-nin considered gravely. "Still, this was not the only discovery that was made on our mission. What could be the most shocking news what I've learned out my student's true nature." Hearing this, Sarutobi became immediately curious as to what Kakashi meant, his left eyebrow raising slightly. Upon seeing the Hokage's reaction to his statement, Kakashi nodded in Naruto's direction, signaling him to come forward. "Because of the... _intricacy_ of this subject, I had Naruto come with me to better explain what has happened regarding his teammates."

"Hmm," breathed Sarutobi in obvious interest as he blew another wafting ring of smoke. After a moment of tense, unnerving silence, he gave an audible sigh and leaned back slightly in his chair. "Very well, let's hear what you have to say Naruto. What exactly is Kakashi talking about?"

Naruto was deathly silent for a moment, so much so that both Sarutobi and Kakashi began to wonder if something was wrong. Truth be told, Naruto was genuinely nervous at the thought of what he was about to do. Could he go through with it? And if he did, then how would Sarutobi reaction the news? Would he calmly accept Sasuke and Sakura for what they were, or would he be fearful of them because of what they were. _'I can't do this,' _he concluded reluctantly. _'I just can't do this.'_

_**'What do you mean 'you can do it'?'**_ growled Kyuubi in irritation. In the six years he'd known Naruto, never once had he heard the boy suddenly just give up in the face of adversity. _**'Why not?'**_

_'Well, I don't know what to say for one,'_ Naruto admitted in embarrassment and shame. _'Also, I'm afraid of what he'll say. Maybe I should just keep quiet; to protect Sasuke and Sakura in case he takes it the wrong way and does something rash.'_

_**'Look Kit,'**_ the Fox argued firmly, an almost fatherly tone in his voice. _**'I understand you want to protect your friends, but you can't keep this quiet forever. Sooner or later, he'll figure it out and you'll wish you'd told him now instead of having him discover this the hard way. As far as what you should say, start with the truth and just go from there; that's honestly the best thing you can do. Now quit whimpering like some frightened child and tell him already.'**_

Still a bit nervous about what he was about to say, Naruto decided that the Kyuubi was right. If he was going to do this, he had to do it now and not put it off until it was too late. As for how he would react, Naruto was still unsure, but he knew in his heart that he had to do this. Stubbornly refusing to allow himself to remain silent a second longer, he cleared his voice hesitantly and finally spoke. "Alright Oij-sama, I'm going to be as quick and truthful as I can when I say this, but... Sasuke and Sakura are mutants."

Needless to say, Sarutobi was sincerely surprised in hearing this. Mutants? In Konohagakure of all places? He knew from his past relationships with the X-Men and his old friend Xavier that they existed, and something like this had happened once before, but never had he expected something like this to occur among _this_ generation's Genin. However, after a moment, the initial feelings of shock and amazement faded away and he became curious as to what Sasuke and Sakura were capable of with their newfound powers.

"Really now," he said calmly, causing Naruto to flinch slightly in apprehension, seeing as he'd kept his eyes closed to brace himself for whatever Sarutobi would say. "This most intriguing Naruto. Now tell me, what exactly can Sasuke and Sakura do with their powers?"

Surprised for a moment at how well Sarutobi was taking this rather sudden news, Naruto breathed an audible sigh of relief before continuing with his explanation. "Well," he began warily, "Sakura has the ability to manipulate and control a form of ambient energy called beta particles. This energy usually manifests itself as a kind of golden glow around her hands or wherever she's manipulating it from. As for what she can do with it, so far she's gotten to the point where she can fire concussive blasts of energy from her hands that do a lot of damage. But beta energy can do a lot of things, so who knows what she can do with it if she keeps practicing."

"Hmm," Sarutobi hummed thoughtfully, obviously intrigued at what he was hearing. "And, what of Sasuke? What are his abilities?"

"Heh," Naruto chuckled nervously, remembering just how potent the Uchiha's powers were. "Sasuke's mutation is a bit more complicated than Sakura's is. From what he's told me, his power manifests itself only when his Sharingan is activated. It lets him absorb the memories and abilities of anyone he makes skin contact with while his Kekkei Genkai is in use, kind of like Rogue-oneesan can. When he used it against Zabuza's apprentice Haku, he gained the power to control and create ice. Afterwards, he loses any powers he copies once his Sharingan is deactivated."

Having said this, he became concerned about what Sarutobi would do with his friends, now that he knew what they were capable of. He remembered how people were back home when it came to the mutant populace, and he didn't want his friends to go through the suffering and prejudice that he had had to endure. "Please don't hurt them Sandaime-sama," he pleaded earnestly, using Sarutobi's title for the first time since he'd moved to Konohagakure, "or let anyone else do so for that matter. They may have new abilities, but they are still themselves. They're still Konoha shinobi, and I don't want to see them hurt or hated for what they are, not like back in America. I don't want them to go through that."

"Calm yourself Naruto, there's no need for you to make such a request," Sarutobi reassured him with a slight chuckle. "I have no intention of harming them, or seeing anyone else attempt to do so. This village is not like the rest of the world. We're no so nearsighted when it comes to what people can do or how they were born. I for one think that your teammates' new abilities will make them invaluable assets to our village's future as shinobi. Believe me when I say that no harm will come to them so long as they are Konoha shinobi."

Upon hearing this, Naruto visibly relaxed a bit and made a mental note to _never _doubt this man's integrity when it came to his opinion of mutants. It was obvious from the compassionate way that Sarutobi smiled at him when he spoke that he was true in his words. Such a kind and reassuring smile could never come from someone whose heart was full of hatred and prejudice. "Arigatou, Oij-sama," Naruto thanked the Hokage respectfully, giving him a slight bow as he did so. "You don't know how relieved I am to hear that."

"You're welcome Naruto," smiled Sarutobi warmly. "It's really not that big a deal. Now, the only problem I foresee in this situation is how to train them in how to use their newfound powers. As you know, mutants are still a new concept for our village, so we really have no real idea of how to teach them about their abilities and how to control the properly."

Much to his surprise, Naruto flashed his now trademark foxy grin when he heard this. _'Heh,' _he chuckled mentally._ 'I guess it's time to go all in.' _Feeling a newfound confidence rising from within him, Naruto took a step forward, so that he was standing directly in front of Sarutobi's desk and not off to it's side as he had been a moment ago. "Well, now that you mention it Oij-sama," he began cautiously, trying not to slip up as he proposed his plans, "there may be a solution to that after all."

"Oh?" remarked the Hokage, blinking twice as he regained his formal composure. "And just what would this solution of yours be Naruto?"

"Do you remember what I told you about my dream of establishing my own branch of the X-Men here in the village when I became Hokage?" Naruto questioned reflectively, remembering that fateful day as if it were but only a moment ago. Sarutobi gave a nod of recognition, and quietly urged him to continue with his idea. "Well, who says I have to wait until I become Hokage to start up the team? Think about it, you've worked alongside the X-Men and Xavier-Oij-Sama in the past, so you know what a properly trained squad of mutants is capable of. Working in together in unison, they can accomplish far more than even the most skilled of Jounin could do on their own."

"Hmm," pondered Sarutobi as considered the truth behind Naruto's words. There was not obvious doubt in his mind that the boy was right. During the missions he and Minato had accompanied the X-Men on in the past, Sarutobi had seen all too well what they were capable of when the worked as a team. In combat, they were an unbeatable force to be reckoned with, defeating all who stood in their path with almost choreographed precision and grace. "And what, pray tell, would you call this team, if it came to be?"

"I've actually given that a lot of thought," replied the blonde honestly, reflexively massaging the back of his neck as he spoke. "At first, I couldn't figure out what to call it. But then it dawned on me. Even though we come from different countries, and have different backgrounds and beliefs, we're all connected in a sense. Our X-Genes bind us together even if we're oceans apart, because that's what makes us the same. So, I finally settled on the name _**Idenshi-X**_, the Japanese word for 'gene' or 'trait' defining our team as unique to Konohagakure no Sato. We would be the world's first ever mutant shinobi team, opening up new possibilities for both the village and for the mutant populace as well. For any mutants that show signs of their X-Gene becoming active, we would welcome them onto the team and help them learn to control their powers for the betterment of the village. We could defend the village from threats too great for an ordinary shinobi to handle on their own, and help the world in ways never thought possible before."

As Naruto finished with his proposal, Sarutobi simply amazed at how much thought the young X-Man had put into this incredible dream of his. Even Kakashi had to admit that he was impressed by Naruto's inspiring speech. If those who had once called him a scatterbrained moron in the past were here to hear his speech, he doubted they'd look at Naruto the same again. Sarutobi smiled genuinely for a moment at the thought of it all, and then gave his response to the boy's suggestion.

"Well, you've convinced me Naruto," he said happily. "You've obviously put a lot of thought into creating this team, and I believe you're right in saying that it would change the village for the better. Therefore, I hereby officially accept your proposal and name _**Idenshi-X**_ as Konohagakure's newest shinobi squadron, and it's first Meta-Talent Combat and Response Team."

_'YATA!!'_ Naruto exclaimed inwardly, while trying to contain his overwhelming excitement and happiness. He was still in the presence of the Sandaime Hokage and his sensei after all. Still, even thought he was successful in maintaining his composure for the most part, Sarutobi couldn't help but notice an overjoyed twinkle in the boy's cerulean blue eyes. "Domo arigatou, Oij-sama," Naruto said thankfully, bowing slightly at the waist respectfully as he did so. "I promise you I won't let you down, not as long as I lead this team!"

"Now just a moment Naruto," Sarutobi interjected, reigning in the boy's enthusiasm. Once the blonde had settled down, he resumed with what he had been meaning to say. "Even though this was your idea to begin with and you know more about the X-Men's training style, I would still prefer to see this team supervised by a Jounin-sensei all the same."

Hearing this, Naruto's shoulders drooped slightly and his face took on a somewhat crestfallen look. Granted, he was greatly enthused to have helped successfully establish such a unique branch of the X-Men in his home village, but he had always envisioned himself as its leader when the time came. "But, why Oij-sama?" he asked adamantly, feeling a bit let down. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you Naruto," the Hokage replied truthfully. "However, you are still too young to be leading a team this early in your career as a shinobi. Also, I believe that having someone who is more experienced in shinobi warfare and tactics will be better fit to oversee this team and its actions as well. Please try to understand Naruto, that I'm doing this to keep you and your new team safe. You may have experience in dealing with serious superhuman threats, but you still have a somewhat remedial understanding of the shinobi world and the types of opponents you may come across here. By assigning you another Jounin-sensei, I believe your new squad will be better prepared to face both kinds of opponents safely, do you understand?"

"I understand Oij-sama," Naruto grumbled, still feeling disappointed all the same. "Still, who do you have that's better fit to lead our team than me or one of the other X-Men, like my dad or Cyclops?"

"Heh," laughed Sarutobi in a friendly manner, "you'll see for yourself soon enough. Now, you should go home and get some rest, _both_ of you." He nodded curtly in Kakashi's direction at that last part. "Tomorrow, I'll send over your new sensei to meet with you at your father's estate in the morning. So, Kakashi, I want you to pass on this news to Sasuke and Sakura and tell them to be at Naruto's home bright and early tomorrow. Well, that is all for now, the both of you are dismissed."

"Hai, Sandaime-sama," Kakashi bowed respectfully before turning to Naruto, who was still feeling depressed. Sensing that the boy needed a little pick-me-up after being regrettably shot down for his much awaited position as leader of Idenshi-X, Kakashi decided to try and cheer him up a little. After all, it was the least he could do as the boy's sensei. "Let's go Naruto. I'll take you by Ichiraku Ramen for that miso and pork you wanted earlier, my treat to celebrate the formation of our newest team."

"Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said quietly, his dour mood brightening ever-so-slightly as they turned and departed from the Hokage's office. However, as soon as they had left the room, Naruto's disheartened expression returned and he found himself wanting to viciously punch something, anything! He usually did his best to keep his anger in line, but at the moment, he was genuinely _mad_. "Man, this sucks! I mean, I get where Oij-sama is coming from, but this was supposed to be my team! I thought that I'd finally get my chance to show everyone what I can do as a leader."

"You know Naruto, Sandaime-sama could've simply said 'no' when you suggested forming your team, so you should be grateful," Kakashi reasoned in a stern, yet relaxed voice. "Besides, think of it this way: your new Jounin-sensei may be up to speed with opponents that a shinobi might face, but they won't be so familiar with super-criminals like the ones you've faced before with the X-Men. So in a sense, both of you are sharing the responsibility of leading this team."

Naruto thought about that seriously for a moment. Kakashi was right, whoever their new sensei would be, he or she wouldn't have had the experience of battling the same kind of metahuman and supernatural foes that Naruto had literally gone toe-to-toe with during his career as a member of the X-Men. So he was kind of going to be a leader for Idenshi-X, just not the kind he had envisioned himself as: the guy who supervises everything and the person everyone looks to make the tough choices, like his father was. Still, it was a heck of a lot better than being flat-out rejected like he could've been. Surprisingly, just realizing this actually started to help him feel a lot better.

"Yeah, you're right Kakashi-sensei," the blonde conceded after a moment of silent thought. "Sorry about acting so immature and selfish like that."

"That's alright Naruto," Kakashi grinned reassuringly from beneath his face-mask. "There's really nothing to forgive. Believe me, I've been let down a few times in the past, so I know all to well how you feel."

"Thanks sensei," Naruto intoned gratefully. Then, something occurred to him that he hadn't thought of before. If Sarutobi was pairing them with a Jounin-sensei who knew about mutants and how to train them, it had to be someone who either worked with mutants in the past, or actually _was_ one. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei, do you know who the Jounin is that Oij-sama's going to assign to Idenshi-X as a sensei?"

Now, this was something that Kakashi had to think seriously about for a moment, putting a finger to his masked lips as he attempted to better orient his thoughts. Looking back at all of the shinobi that he had worked with who had become either Jounin or members of the elite ANBU Black Ops, he couldn't think of a single one he knew that had had experience with mutants in the past. The more that he thought about it, the more increasingly perplexed he became. "Sorry Naruto," he apologized earnestly, shrugging his shoulders in defeat, "but your guess is as good as mine at this point."

"Okay, I was just curious is all," the young X-Man accepted as they exited the top floor and started down the winding staircase that wove around the building's exterior to the ground below. As they descended however, Naruto's mind continued to dwell on his earlier question. As far as he and Kyuubi knew, the only shinobi in Konohagakure with a latent X-Gene were all listed in Professor-X's _**Agenda-X Files**_, and none of them were above the rank of Genin. Seeing as this was the case, then that meant that if the person Sarutobi was assigning as their sensei was a mutant, then their powers had become active long before the Professor had catalogued the Genin in his files.

_'Kyuubi, any thoughts as to our mystery sensei might be?'_ he probed meaningfully as he and Kakashi continued down the flight of steps. Since the fox had been around long before he was born, Naruto figured maybe he could provide the answer that Kakashi couldn't. But they hadn't lived in Konohagakure for very long, so the demon's memory of his past dealings with the village may have become a tad fuzzy when it came to recalling names and faces.

_**'Search me Kit,'**_ the Fox sighed sadly. _**'You, your teammates, and those kids in Xavier's files are the only mutants I know of here. But, then again, I could be wrong. If this sensei is a telepath, they may be able to mask their brainwave pattern from a psychic probe. That being said, a mental sweep of the populace wouldn't reveal much.'**_

_'Yeah, you've got a point there,'_ Naruto admitted, remember all of the times they'd both spent quietly meditating on the ornate roof of the Namikaze Estate. With the powerful telepathy that the Kyuubi enabled him to mimic from the Professor, he would've been able to sense their mental pattern with ease, seeing as the brainwaves of mutants and humans were different. However, the only patterns that ever came up were those of his friends at the Academy. _'I guess we'll just have to wait and see then. Thanks any way Kyuubi.'_

_**'No problem Kit,'**_ the Fox thought, in a more sincere and pleasant tone this time. _**'Besides, you shouldn't be worried about that. You should be out celebrating! The first branch of the X-Men ever to be established in the Elemental Nations, and its all thanks to you and your dream! Now **__**that's**__** an accomplishment worthy of a night at Ichiraku.'**_

_'You've got that right Kyuubi!' _Naruto agreed happily as he and Kakashi finally reached the ground-level and headed for the aforementioned ramen bar. _'This is gonna be great! I can't wait to get started!'_

As the afternoon's momentous events continued to play themselves out in his head, Naruto could barely contain his enthusiasm. Not only had one of his fondest of dreams become a reality, but it had happened in a matter of minutes! So many thoughts were rushing through his teenaged head as he and Kakashi made their way through the crowded and bustling village streets towards Ichiraku Ramen. Who was their new sensei? Would they be cool like Kakashi and teach them some awesome jutsu? How would Sasuke and Sakura react when they found out they were going to be part of all this? What new adventures and exploits awaited them as they began their career as members of Idenshi-X? One thing was for certain thought, he couldn't wait for tomorrow to come!

* * *

**Whoa! Looks like Naruto's got his wish and finally established his own team of X-Men in Konohagakure! But, there are still a lot of questions that have yet to be answered. Who is their new sensei? Is he or she a mutant as well? How will Sasuke and Sakura take to being a part of Idenshi-X? What challenges await them in the future? And what does this mean for the upcoming Chunin Exams? The answers to these questions and more are all coming up in the next chapter of Agenda-X, so keep those reviews coming and stay tuned! _EXCELSIOR!!_**


	13. 13 All for One, and One for All

**Welcome back True Believers! Whew, it took a lot of work to get this chapter done, but here it is. Now, when we last left our heroes, Naruto and Kakashi had gone off to celebrate the foundation of Idenshi-X with a hearty round of ramen at Ichiraku. Naruto can barely contain his excitement for the coming day when he and his friends get to meet their new sensei. But before that happens, someone must tell Sasuke and Sakura about their new team. How will they react to this news? Well, read on to find out...**

* * *

**Chapter 13: All for One, and One for All.**

"Ahhh!" sighed a very pleased Naruto as he pushed his fiftieth bowl of miso ramen away from the counter's edge, lazily swiveling his chair around so he could lean comfortably against the far wall. He and Kakashi had just finished off their last round of ramen for the evening after their monumental departure from Hokage Tower. The Copy-nin had called it quits after just his fifth bowl, but Naruto continued to pack it in while his sensei just sat there and watched him in sheer amazement. "Man, was that good! I can't tell you how much I've missed your ramen Teuchi. It's like nothing I've ever tasted!"

At this, Teuchi laughed heartily and gave the blonde boy a good-natured slap on the shoulder as he turned to gather the mountainous stack of bowls from the counter. "Well, I'm glad you approve Naruto. After all, you are my best customer." It was the truth after all. Ever since he'd first caught wind of the shop's ramen on his first day in the Academy, Naruto had become a regular customer at Ichiraku Ramen, spending most of his lunch-periods hunched over the old-fashioned wooden counter like a flame-haired Quasimodo as he gulped down bowl after bowl of ramen. It never ceased to amaze Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, how he could eat so much food and stay so fit.

"Besides," Ayame added with a smile as she took a few bowls from her father's steadily growing stack, "you deserve it. Finally realizing your dream and establishing your own team of X-Men here in the village, now _that's_ a reason to celebrate." Naruto grinned happily at her kind words. She and her father had been the only two non-shinobi villagers that he'd bothered to share his dreams with when he'd enrolled in the Academy. Now that one of his dreams had come true, he felt like he could easily borrow Ororo's power and soar through the air on the four winds he felt so light!

"Well, I guess it's time to head out Naruto," Kakashi finally said as he got to his feet and paid their bill. Normally, he'd regret having to spend this much _ryou_ on a meal like this. But, seeing as it was such a big celebration for Naruto, he decided he could part with the large amount of cash listed on the bill. "We've got things to take care of before tomorrow comes."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei!" agreed the young X-Man, practically leaping out of his seat as he followed the Copy-nin out of the bar. "Hey, how are you going to break the news to Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme?"

"Heh," chuckled the silver-haired Jounin sheepishly as they stepped outside and in the night air. The lazy afternoon sun had already started to go down as soon as Naruto had finished his thirtieth bowl of ramen, so it was beginning to get dark fast. "Actually, I was thinking that you could be the one to tell them."

"Okay, that sound's fi-," Naruto started to say compliantly before remembering Sarutobi's orders for the Jounin. "Hey, wait a second! Oij-sama told you to tell them! Why the hell would I agree to do something that you were already told to do?!" He underlined his last question by pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi.

"Well, for one reason, it is your team," Kakashi rationalized calmly, putting up his hands in mock defense. "If you want them to cooperate with you, it'd probably be better if you were the one to tell them about their being a part of Idenshi-X." After saying this, he paused for a moment to massage the back of his neck ever so innocently. "Secondly, I had some... important errands that needed running today, so I thought it would be more convenient if you told them instead of me."

"Don't give me that 'errand' crap Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shot back vehemently, a vein beginning to become pronounced on his forehead over the left temple. "You just want me to do your job for you so you could go home and kick back with that lame hentai novel you love so much while I do all the work, you pathetic masked perv!" Now that particular barb stuck a raw nerve, as Kakashi was practically in love with the entire Icha-Icha Series.

"Now hold on a second!" Kakashi retorted in obvious frustration that the boy had discovered one of his reasons for having him do this instead of him. By this time, a small number of villagers had begun to stop and take notice of the pair's argument, which was beginning to become quite heated. "Let's leave my interests out of this Naruto! I just thought it would be a good way for you to bond with your team and learn to handle delicate situations like this!"

"Again, obvious bullcrap Kakashi-sensei!" argued the irritated blonde, coldly turning his back on the Copy-nin. "Admit it! You'd rather slack off and read your sophomoric porn, then convince some poor sap to do your work for you. Lazy ass!"

"Blathering child," rebutted the silver-haired Jounin venomously.

"Sentai reject," Naruto glared back with equal ilk, getting right in Kakashi's face as he spoke.

"Gaki."

"One-eye."

"Baka."

"Porn-reading moron."

"Alright, that's it!" Kakashi said, having grown quite sick of arguing with Naruto in public like this. "Look, name-calling like a pair of kindergarteners will get us nowhere. We need to reach a mutual agreement about this so we can get on with our evening." Much to his surprise, Naruto nodded in concurrence and finally settled down. Seeing that the flame-haired boy had finally been placated, Kakashi took a deep, cleansing breath and started to seriously think of a reasonable compromise. Then, it came to him, as if someone had suddenly turned on a light bulb inside his brain. "How about this," he suggested calmly, "I'll go and tell Sasuke and Sakura to meet at your house tomorrow as planned, but you have to be the one to tell them about Idenshi-X. Sound fair to you?"

Seeing as Kakashi couldn't shirk off his responsibilities like he'd planned, Naruto nodded contentedly and grinned slyly to himself in satisfaction. "Okay, Kakashi-sensei," he conceded happily, "that seems fair to me." Having somewhat won their little argument, he turned to quietly depart for the Namikaze Estate to try and sleep off all the ramen he'd finished devouring, so he could be better prepared for whatever tomorrow would bring. "Well, see you around Kakashi-sensei. Enjoy your evening." And with that, he vanished with a soft _bamf_ in a cloud of inky black smoke, the burning scent of sulfur and brimstone lingering in the air and causing Kakashi to cough and gasp for breath.

"(Hack) Gee, thanks Naruto," the Copy-nin coughed sarcastically as he reluctantly set out of the Haruno Clan's apartment complex. Truth be told, he was still quite miffed that he had to work on what was supposed to be his team's day off. _'But then again,'_ he rationalized quietly with an inward smirk, _'they're not wholly mine anymore, are they?'_

* * *

**The following morning, at the Namikaze Estate...**

Having finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep, Naruto awoke earlier than usually with a cheerful and optimistic attitude. Like most days, he'd decided to wear his orange civilian attire, along with his cyber-visor, combat boots, and fingerless gloves After going about his usual morning routine and completing his strict exercise regiment, the flame-haired X-Man decided to spend the remainder of his free time meditating on the roof of the Namikaze Estate, at least until Sasuke and Sakura arrived. As he rested atop the interlocking tiles of the roof, sitting patiently in the lotus position as he awaited his teammates' arrival, Naruto smiled silently to himself as a cool, refreshing breeze brushed softly against his 'whiskered' face. It was calm mornings like this one that reminded him of the ones back in Westchester, where he and his father would relax in a similar manner before beginning the day anew.

_'Man, what a day,'_ he thought to himself nostalgically as he continued with his meditation. With each deep breath, he focused his mind on the world around him, quietly listening to his environment and studying its calming rhythm. Even with his eyes shut as tight as they were, his animalistic senses told him everything he needed to know. His ears pricked up at the harsh cry of a heron taking flight off to the north; his skin prickled into gooseflesh as the breeze brushed against his face and neck once more; his nose twitched slightly as he caught the soothing aroma of... sakura petals? _'Looks like they're here,'_ he grinned slyly, snapping his eyes open and rising to his feet.

Just as he was about to make his way over to the stairs, a thought popped into his head that made him smirk like a daredevil who'd just thought up a new stunt. There was more than one way to get to the ground anyhow. Without a second thought, Naruto soundlessly sprinted for the edge of the ornate roof and elegantly swan-dived into open space. As he quickly began to descend, he caught a fleeting glimpse of both Sasuke and Sakura strolling up the cobblestone walkway to his front door, neither one showing any sign that they had seen him jump. Smiling like a thrill-crazed stuntman, Naruto ignited his plasma claws and spread his arms wide, making him look like some great bird of prey swooping in on its unsuspecting victim. The instant the claws were unsheathed, Naruto began to slightly increase the temperature of the plasma energy, generating a warm, cushioning thermal of air beneath him, subsequently slowing his otherwise erratic descent.

By this time, Sakura had taken notice of the glow from his plasma claws and quickly sprinted up the walkway after him, with Sasuke reluctantly trailing behind her. "Naruto, what the heck were you doing up there?" she inquired suspiciously as she reached the front porch.

"Not much, Sakura-chan," Naruto smiled as he landed softly on the ground in front of her. "I was just getting in some meditation time before you guys showed up is all."

"But, on the roof?" she probed curiously, a bit shocked by his methods of relaxation.

"Well, it's one of the more peaceful places in the Estate, other than the Zen Garden," admitted the flame-haired X-Man. "Besides, the view is ten times better. You can see everything for miles!"

"Yeah, 'cause everyone meditates with their eyes open," mocked Sasuke in sarcasm as he reluctantly joined them. Even though he'd become less of a brooding loner following their mission in the Land of Waves, he still held on to his animosity for Naruto, although it had lessened considerably. "You're still a hopeless dobe, Naruto."

"Heh, and you're still a chicken-ass haired teme, Sasuke," the blonde rebutted jokingly.

"Hey, I happen to like my hair this way," returned the Uchiha good-naturedly.

"To each his own I guess," shrugged the young X-Man, ignoring the death-glare Sakura was beaming him for making fun of her crush's hair. _'Well, I guess it's time to get things going,'_ he thought solemnly as he gave his friends a quick grin. Swiftly punching in a sequence of numbers in the keypad by the front door, Naruto pushed open the ornate Western-styled door and gestured to his teammates to enter. "Alright, come on in. Welcome to the Namikaze Estate."

The second that Sasuke and Sakura quietly stepped through the entry way and into the main foyer, they were both amazed by the sheer volume of the mansion. And the design was exquisite! Shimmering marble floors; unique, hand-carved banisters running alongside a winding staircase; a golden chandelier; and a masterfully crafted painting adorning the foyer ceiling. Sasuke, being the son of the Uchiha Clan's head, was used to the extravagancy of the main clan's lifestyles. However, even the Uchiha and Hyuuga compounds paled in comparison to the Namikaze Mansion. In fact, the only thing he could say being faced with this was, "... _Whoa._" Sakura's reaction was a bit different however; all she could do was gape in astonishment.

"Gee, thanks," Naruto said with a smile, massaging his neck slightly embarrassed. "My biological father made a lot of trips to America before he became the Yondaime Hokage, so when his clan became one of the major ranking households, he insisted that he Estate be redesigned like a Western-styled mansion. Since I moved in, I made a few improvements to help make it feel more like home, but it's pretty much still the same."

"Improvements like...?" questioned Sasuke aloud, wondering what about a ritzy place like this would need improving.

**"Improvements like me, Sasuke-san,"** intoned an automated, yet very female voice that seemed to come from out of thin air. Sasuke immediately braced himself to fight if the voice's owner was hostile, his eyes flickering to the left and to the right as he searched for its origin.

_'Where the hell did that voice come from?!'_ he wondered cautiously as he scanned the room. _'I don't sense any foreign chakra signatures in here, but there's no doubt that it came from this room. Is this some kind of jutsu?'_ Curiously, he looked over to where Naruto stood grinning at him in amusement. Obviously, he wasn't weirded out by all this, but why was that? Before he could inquire any further, a shimmering, blue light emanated from the center of the room, causing a face to materialize in its center. It was the face of a beautiful young woman, a cheerful and kind-hearted look about her as she gazed at them. Sasuke felt as if he could simply reach out and touch her if he wanted to. But then he noticed that he could see through her to the wall behind her. She was just an illusion!

**"Forgive me for startling you, Sasuke-san," **the face apologized sincerely. **"I was merely wishing to introduce myself. My name is Cerebra; I am the Shi'ar A.I. in charge of monitoring the Namikaze Estate and keeping in touch with my counterpart in Westchester."**

"Amazing," breathed Sakura in astonishment as she approached Cerebra's holographic form unafraid. "So, you're a computer, yet you can think and feel like we can?" Cerebra smiled warmly and gave her an intangible nod. "That's incredible."

**"Why thank you Sakura-chan,"** replied Cerebra graciously, her bluish form shimmering slightly as she spoke.

"Cerebra was one of the first major installments made to the mansion," Naruto explained professionally as he took up a position next to the A.I.'s holographic form. "When it was decided that I was gonna live in the village and begin my ninja training, Xavier-Oij-sama had Forge install her into the mansion. Cerebra's operating system runs throughout the entirety of the Estate, controlling most of its electronic functions and maintaining the security systems that protect it as well. Aside from the ANBU's Headquarters, this is probably the safest place in the village."

"Cool," murmured Sasuke truthfully, his eyes rarely leaving Cerebra's visage.

"Neat," Sakura said as she turned her gaze back to the rest of the spacious foyer. "Could we see the rest of the mansion?" Having seen Cerebra, she had become deeply curious as to what the rest of the Estate was like.

"Sure Sakura-chan, I don't see why not," grinned Naruto compliantly as he led her further into the Estate, adding over his shoulder, "Come on Sasuke." Up until now, Sasuke had still been greatly intrigued by Cerebra, but hearing Naruto call after him snapped him back to reality and he followed his teammates towards the massive ballroom, Cerebra's holographic face following close behind. Upon entry, Sakura gasped in surprise and wonder. It was a beautiful sight to behold for a girl her age. A smooth, polished, crimson marble floor; majestic, sparkling chandeliers hanging overhead; a beautiful painting of cherubs frolicking among the clouds adorning the ceiling; an elegant grand piano sitting peacefully atop a raised stage; and voluminous windows that gave a magnificent view of the backyard, where the pool and hedge maze resided.

"This is... beautiful!" Sakura exclaimed in awestruck wonder. Never in her thirteen-year-old life had she ever expected to be in such a wonderful place. She felt like she had walked into a fairy-tale palace!

"I'm glad you think so," Naruto smiled as he led them across the floor towards the stage where the piano was.

"So," Sasuke said as they reached the stage, "I was wondering, why we were supposed to meet here exactly? I mean, not that this isn't nice and all, but don't we usually meet with Kakashi at that old bridge near Hokage Mountain?"

Being put on the spot like he was, Naruto gulped softly in nervousness and tried to think of a reply. He knew that he was supposed to tell them about Idenshi-X, but he wasn't sure if now was the right time to do so. "Well," he began cautiously. "I-"

**"Naruto-kun has requested your presence so that he may discuss the possibility of admitting you to Konohagakure's newest shinobi squad and its own branch of X-Men, Idenshi-X,"** interjected Cerebra matter-of-factly as her image hovered over to Naruto's side. Upon hearing this, both Sakura and Sasuke looked a bit surprised at the news, their minds suddenly brimming with a thousand different questions at once.

"Cerebra!" Naruto exclaimed in annoyance, upset that she'd spoiled his plan of easing into the explanation. "Why'd you do that?! Oij-sama and Kakashi wanted me to tell them about Idenshi-X, not you! That was my responsibility!"

**"Forgive me Naruto-kun,"** apologized the A.I. sympathetically, her head inclining itself as if bowing. **"I meant no disrespect. I was only meaning to help you explain the situation to them."**

_'I think Forge forgot to program you with a sense of timing'_ Naruto thought irritably as he tried to orient his thoughts. His original plan scrapped as it was, he was just going to have to approach the matter in a different way. "It's alright Cerebra," he reassured her calmly. "You didn't know better. Maybe its better that I tell them now anyway."

"Wait, so... that's why Kakashi-sensei told us to meet here?" inquired Sakura in surprise. "So you could tell us this?" At her side, Sasuke gave Naruto a dark, piercing glare that said "start talking before I strangle it out of you". Naruto sighed audibly in defeat, knowing now why Kakashi was so adamant to dodge this part of Sarutobi's orders. This was gonna be tough to deal with now, but there was no way around it anymore.

"Yeah, that's right Sakura-chan," he admitted reluctantly. "Yesterday, Kakashi had me go with him to give his report on our mission in the Land of Waves, so I could tell the Hokage what happened concerning your new powers and your status as mutants. All things considered, he took it rather well and said that this didn't change anything as far as your standing as shinobi was concerned," he reassured them in calming manner, seeing Sakura start slightly at this news. However, she relaxed considerably after hearing the Hokage bore no ill will against mutants. "However," Naruto continued, "He was concerned with how to teach you how to use your new powers. So, I suggested that we become the village's own branch of the X-Men, Idenshi-X. He seemed pretty pleased with the idea and approved of the group's formation, as long as we were given an additional Jounin sensei to help train us."

"So, you basically signed us up for X-Men training camp without our permission?" seethed Sasuke in annoyance.

"I guess you could say that Sasuke," Naruto conceded dejectedly. He'd expected Sasuke to say something like that. After all, he had a valid point; he didn't think to tell them about his plans, and just when along with them without their consent. "Look, I'm sorry I did this without telling you guys first, but I really wasn't thinking at the time."

_'Clearly,'_ thought Sasuke irritably as he continued to glare at his teammate.

"But, now that this is for sure, I really think we can make this work you guys," Naruto explained adamantly. "Idenshi-X isn't just about us, it's about any other mutants that may surface in Konoha. Not only will our team be able to defend the village from any supernatural threats and learn about our abilities, but we'll also help people like us to master their own powers for the good of the village. What we'd be able to do would change the shinobi world greatly."

"I still don't see why _we_ have to be the ones to do this," Sasuke snapped curtly, gesturing at himself and Sakura as he spoke. "If you ask me, it sounds like a complete waste of time for one. Second, we'll be putting ourselves at risk by revealing that we're mutants. The Hokage may think well of the mutant population, but what about everyone else?" As he spoke, Naruto noticed a dark emotion flicker in his eyes for a moment. He knew that Sasuke had another reason that he wasn't going to voice in front of Sakura: _how will this help me kill Itachi?_

"Sasuke has somewhat of a point Naruto," Sakura added, rubbing her arm nervously. "We still don't know how everyone else will react to us being mutants. We'd be putting ourselves at risk big time. Besides..." he voice trained off for a moment, "I'm still kind of afraid of my powers. I mean, you saw that huge blast I created in the Land of Waves. What if I can't control it some time and I end up hurting someone I care about. Maybe it's better if I don't use them again."

Hearing what they had to say brought it all home for Naruto, reminding him of how real this decision was. He knew that there was times in the past where he'd felt like Sakura did, afraid of what he could do and afraid he would hurt someone precious to him. He also regrettably knew that he'd thought that it was to great a burden to bear like Sasuke thought. But he knew all too well that simply hiding what they were and denying that part of themselves wouldn't make things any better. If anything, it would only make things worse.

"I know this seems overwhelming guys," he said honestly, a soft look coming over his gaze as he spoke. "But you know, I didn't say that you _had _to do this. You can both refuse if you want and just walk away, I would understand completely and not think any less of the two of you for it. I know that what I'm asking of you is great, and that the both of you are still coming to terms with the fact that you're mutants and all. But, we all saw how well we worked as a team in the Land of Waves, both with and without our powers, and I truly believe that we as mutants can be just as effective as we are as shinobi. I'm not trying to make use of your powers for my dream; I'm doing this because I want to help you guys. So what do you say? Are we in this together, or what?"

On that note, he slowly extended his hand to them, palm facing the floor. He had said his piece. What the both of them decided next was entirely up to them. For a few moments, time seemed to slowly crawl by at a snail's pace. Then, just as he was sure they were going to refuse, Sakura calmly stepped forward and gently laid her hand atop his own. Naruto could barely believe it! She had been the most reluctant to use her abilities and had the more valid reason not to join, yet she was going to anyway! A fraction of a second later, Sasuke coolly strode over and firmly put his hand on top of Sakura's, signifying that he too was for joining Idenshi-X as well.

"I still a little unsure about all this, Naruto," Sakura finally said honestly, a shred of nervousness in her voice. "But, I think that this is something we need to do. And if we're going to do this, then we need to do it together... as a team. With all three of us working as one, there's nothing we can't do." Beside her, Sasuke simply nodded slightly in agreement with her.

"Thanks you guys," Naruto smiled warmly, a sincere look of joyous relief in his eyes. For a second there, Sakura thought her teammate was going to cry. Not that she would've blamed him though; they'd just shown him that even thought they were skeptical to his idea, they still trusted in him completely. "I promise that no matter what the future holds for us, I'll stick with you through it. And this won't be a waste of your guys' time at all. It's like you said Sakura, with the three of us behind it, there's no limit to what we can accomplish. All for one, and one for all."

"Whatever you say, dobe," Sasuke muttered under his breath doubtfully. In the back of his mind, truth be told, he seriously doubted that becoming an "X-Man" would help him accomplish his goal of one day seeing Itachi dead. _'But, then again,'_ he reconsidered thoughtfully. _'Itachi has always preferred to be a solo act, even when we were kids. Maybe, just maybe, working together to bring him down isn't such a bad idea. Just as long as I'm the one to kill him in the end, it's my duty as the Avenger of my clan.'_

While Sasuke was still silently pondering how joining Idenshi-X would help him to achieve his vengeance, Naruto and Sakura were timidly trying to come up with what to say to one another in response to all of this. Luckily, just before the situation became any more awkward, Cerebra's blue holographic face suddenly reappeared between them, startling the both of them considerably. "Aaahhh!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, clutching his chest like he'd had a fake heart-attack. "Damnit Cerebra, don't do that! What, do you _want_ me to die of fright here?!"

**"Forgive me once more, Naruto-kun,"** pleaded the A.I. earnestly, **"but I wish to inform you that Sarutobi-sama and your new Jounin sensei have arrived on the premises and are waiting for you at the front door."**

"Wait, the Hokage's here?!" questioned Sakura in disbelief.

"Oh yeah," Naruto realized, snapping his fingers in sudden remembrance. "That's right; he said he would be accompanying our new sensei to see how we hit it off. Come on!" Waving for his teammates to follow him as he ran, Naruto eagerly sprinted through the long, winding hallway that led from the ballroom to the front entryway, blood singing in his ears from the excitement of the moment. This was great! After all that needless worrying, the Kyuubi had been right all along. He just needed tell them the truth from the get-go and leave the rest up to his teammates.

_**'Was there any doubt I was right?'**_ snickered the Fox playfully, again reading the blonde's thoughts without permission.

_'Just a little,'_ joked Naruto humorously as he continued to dash towards the front door. With the rapid footfalls of Sasuke and Sakura echoing close behind him, the young X-Men finally reached the illustriously crafted front door. _'This is it,'_ he thought to himself in reigned excitement. _'From this moment on the X-Men, no, __Idenshi-X__, is here to stay.'_ Hands trembling in anticipation, Naruto firmly clasped the doorknob and threw open the door dramatically.

_**'Heh,'**_ chuckled Kyuubi with a sly grin as he sat quietly within Naruto's vast mindscape and watched the door open in the real world to reveal their guests. _**'And so it begins.'**_

* * *

****

Well look at that, a cliff-hanger! How despicable of me (lol). Looks like the meeting with Sasuke and Sakura when alright, but now the real fun begins. With their new sensei at the door, one can only wonder what will happen next. Who is this new Jounin sensei? What makes them fit to lead Idenshi-X? Are they a mutant as well? And what new adventures await for Konohagakure's new X-Men? As always, stay tuned to find out and remember to R&R. _EXCELSIOR!_


	14. 14 Mind Games

**Welcome back True Believers! I'm sorry it took so long and that I left the last chapter on a cliffhanger, but I finally managed to finish Chapter 14, so now all your questions will hopefully be answered (well, hopefully). Now, when we last left our young heroes, they had just agreed to join Idenshi-X and Sarutobi had just shown up with their new sensei. Who is this Jounin? Are they mutant or an ordinary ninja? How will their presence affect the future of Idenshi-X? Well, why're you asking me all these questions? Read on to find out!**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Mind Games.**

As Naruto eagerly swung open the front door to the Namikaze Estate, he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of excitement and curiosity wash over him. From a good majority of the prior evening, he had been taxing his brain and Cerebra's massive database with figuring out the identity of Idenshi-X's new sensei. In the end, his search had come up blank. There was no file of any mutant activity that would suggest that their sensei could be a mutant. But now, as he opened the door to receive Sarutobi and his guest, his questions would finally be answered. "Oij-sama," he grinned slyly at the Sandaime Hokage, "glad you finally made it."

"Thank you Naruto," chuckled Sarutobi heartily as he smiled at the boy. Per usual, he had come dressed as if for official business, attired in his crimson and cream Hokage robes with his shaded hat seated neatly upon his head. "It's good to see you again." Just then, both Sakura and Sasuke finally caught up to Naruto and skidded to an abrupt stop at his side. "Ah," exclaimed the Hokage happily upon seeing them, "good, Kakashi told you. I hope this didn't come as too much of a shock to you."

"Oh, it was a shock alright," Sakura admitted truthfully, bowing to the Hokage a fraction of a second later. "But we decided that we'd do this as a team. We may be a bit unsure about it, but we still trust both yours and Naruto's judgment on this matter."

"Hmp," nodded Sasuke in agreement.

"Well, that's good to hear," smiled Sarutobi warmly. "Believe me when I say that you three will do our village proud on this team." He paused for a moment, and then motioned to the figure standing a few feet behind him. "But, enough about that, I'm sure you're all anxious to learn who your new sensei is, am I right?" All three mutant Genin nodded in unison at this question, each one as eager as the next to know their sensei's identity. "Well, here she is."

_'So, our new sensei is a she, huh?' _Naruto thought as he peered around Sarutobi to get a better view of the woman in question. _'Well, that narrows it down...'_ Before he could ponder about their new sensei any further, Naruto stopped as the woman calmly sidled up next the Sandaime Hokage. Immediately, Naruto was reminded of someone he'd seen around the village a lot, but at first he couldn't place her.

She was tall and exotically beautiful, garbed in an elegant red dress that was cut just above the knee and appeared to be made of fine silk. Extending from either shoulder and criss-crossing her lavish attire was what looked to be a pair of snow white scrolls that wrapped around her entire body, presumably joined somewhere behind her. Inscribed on both sheets of paper was a strange, indecipherable formula, which was most likely written in a language not native to the Elemental Nations. The way they were draped around her, it looked as though she were wearing a set of bandoliers. Both of her wrists where bound with tough looking gauze that was torn in some places, indicating that she'd seen her fair share of combat. Her hair was a brownish-black, and her eyes were as blood red as Sasuke's Sharingan, though it seemed they were naturally that way. Almost immediately, something inside Naruto's brain clicked into place.

"Hey, I remember you," he finally realized, pointing at her excitedly as he spoke. "You're that lady I've seen hanging around with Kiba, Hinata, and Shino all the time."

"Yeah, that's right," agreed Sasuke calmly, though he was still surprised to see her of all people here. "I saw you leave with them the day we were all assigned our sensei's after graduation."

Sakura looked at Naruto and Sasuke with a perplexed expression for a moment, then back at the woman again. Finally she managed to put two-and-two together. "Hey, yeah!" she exclaimed in sudden recognition. "I saw you having lunch with them just the other day when I was on my way home. You're our new sensei?"

"Very good, your memory serves you well" smiled Sarutobi in amusement as he watched their individual reactions. "You are correct Sakura, she is your new sensei. Everyone, I would like to present to you Miss Yuuhi, Kurenai, the youngest of our Jounin Sensei as of late."

"It is very nice to meet all of you," Kurenai said with a warm, almost motherly smile. "Sandaime-sama has told me so much about all of you."

"He has?" wondered Naruto in surprise, casting a slightly suspicious glance in the aging Hokage's direction.

"Of course, I couldn't have her accept this position without knowing her pupils first not could I?" questioned the Hokage jovially. Then, all of a sudden, his expression took on more of a serious look and he tipped the brim of his hat over his eyes. "But more about that later." He then turned to Naruto, who was still interested in learning more about Kurenai. "Naruto, why don't you show us out back and we can get the four of you better acquainted?"

"Of course, Oij-sama," he nodded compliantly, then turned to politely usher the group into the mansion. As he quietly lead them through the hallway to the ballroom, which opened up to the backyard terrace, Naruto found himself glancing over his shoulder at Kurenai every once and a while. There was just something about her that he couldn't place, something that seemed... off. Absorbed in his own thoughts as he was, the X-Man still had the presence of mind to remember the task at hand and proceeded to lead his guests across the ballroom floor and out the twin glass doors to the backyard.

About one fourth the size of the ballroom, and just as ornate, the stone terrace was crafted to withstand the most brutal of the elements that assailed it. Not only was it durable, but it was quite illustrious as well. It was cordoned off from the rest of the yard by a white marble banister, supported by short, Greco-Roman columns made of the same material. A few feet from the banister was a quartet of elegant dining tables, for social gatherings, and beyond the banister lay the rest of the backyard. An elegant fountain sat in the center of the yard, a steady stream of water flowing from the mouth of the angel that stood atop it. Off to its right, a few yards away lay the winding labyrinth of the hedge maze. As the group approached one of the tables nearest the banister, Naruto stepped up his pace ever-so-slightly, just enough so he could arrive before them and pull out a pair of chairs for Kurenai and Sakura. If there was one thing that he learned from his father and Remy, it was that chivalry was truly an art not to be lost.

"Why thank you Naruto-kun," Kurenai smiled pleasantly as she took her seat and seemed to relax considerable. Sarutobi took the chair to her right, never taking his eyes off of Naruto and his teammates as they sat across from them. For some reason, Naruto thought about all those times that his father had asked Cable to cover for him for Danger Room sessions. No matter what you did, it always felt as if he was studying you for some hidden agenda.

"You're welcome Kurenai-sensei," returned the blonde with a laidback grin, keeping his really suspicions under wraps for the time being. "So, now that we're here, why don't you tell us a little more about yourself? I mean, when we first met Kakashi-sensei, all we really learned was his name." Upon saying this, Naruto found himself having to stifle a slight chuckle, and he noticed that everyone else at the table was attempting to do the same. "You can imagine how weird that was for us."

"Oh yes, that _does_ sound like Kakashi-sempai indeed," Kurenai said humorously, a sparkle of laughter in her eyes. However, this spark faded out just as quickly as it had sprung up, her expression tensing slightly as a look of silent reflection came over her, as if she were recalling something unpleasant. "Well, since you already know my name, I guess we don't really need to go there. I was born in 1972, and I entered the Academy at 6 years old, a bit earlier that the rest of you, seeing as you're all about 13. During my initial training, I learned that I was... _different_ than most children my age. I had abilities that others didn't and as they began to become more prevalent, I found that my rudimentary knowledge of them made it so they were almost uncontrollable."

_'Abilities that no one else had?'_ Naruto thought in intrigue as he listened to Kurenai's story. What she was describing was something that a lot of kids at the Institute had gone through. Could his previous assumptions about their sensei being an unlisted mutant be correct after all?

"At times, they became so strong that they turned on me once or twice, plaguing me even in my sleep as I dreamt," continued the kunoichi softly, her eyes downcast as she spoke. "They would alter my perceptions of my dreams, forcing me to experience trying ordeals, some eerily akin to what Westerners like Naruto would refer to as the Holocaust." As she recalled those horrible, dark dreams from her past, Naruto could see a sort of sadness in her eyes that spoke volumes to him. However, she then managed to smoothly regain her calm composure. "At the age of 13 though, I finally took it upon myself to rein in my powers and took control of them. Using advanced ninjutsu and genjutsu training techniques that were nearly impossible to master, I gained a greater degree of control over my powers. And these scrolls that I wear help to act as a failsafe, should my control ever waver."

Once her tale had concluded, Kurenai quietly leaned back in her chair and cast her now relaxed gaze upon Naruto and his friends. Still processing what she had told them, in truth they didn't know really how to react. Sasuke regarded her with a look of obvious interest, wondering if what he'd dealt with as a child even held a candle to Kurenai's past, being held a prisoner in her own mind like that. Sakura was touched deeply by what Kurenai had shared with them. She saw the older woman as a kindred spirit of sorts in that moment, seeing as she was somewhat wary of her own abilities as well. Naruto on the other hand, had heard stories like this before. True, it was very moving and he felt like he could identify with his new sensei better after hearing it; but there was still a burning question that continued to linger in the back of his mind.

"... Wow, Kurenai-sensei," the blonde managed to stay, doing his best to try and wisely gauge his emotions for the time being. "That's really deep. I feel honored that you felt like you could share such a sensitive subject with the three of us, three strangers that you barely even know. I do have one question though, what are these abilities you keep talking about?"

At first, Kurenai remained silent and didn't say anything. For a moment there, Naruto thought that she hadn't heard him, which was highly unlikely. Then, all of a sudden, she stared into each of their eyes, locking their gaze with her own. As he looked into her eyes, Naruto was surprised to see that they began to glow an unearthly red. Just as he was about to inquire as to what was going on, he suddenly began to feel extremely groggy, as if he was being sedated by some powerful psychic force. With darkness beginning to cloud the sides of his vision, Naruto wearily turned his head to see if his teammates were being subjected to the same treatment. Sure enough, both Sasuke and Sakura had already succumbed to the mental force that assailed their minds and fallen asleep, heads lolling against the backs of their chairs. And he was next.

_"Damn it,"_ he managed to mutter in a tired voice as he slumped to rest his head against the table in induced exhaustion. _"I hate telepaths..."_

* * *

"Ugh, my head," Sakura groaned wearily as she sat up and shook her head to clear her thoughts. When Naruto had invited her to join Idenshi-X, she knew she'd set herself up for experiencing some weird things; but what had just happened had to be on the top of her list.

As Sakura sluggishly got to her feet, she looked around frantically to try and figure out where she was. The last thing she remembered was sitting at a table with Sasuke, Naruto, Kurenai, and the Hokage on the terrace at the Namikaze Estate. But now, as she took in her surroundings, she saw that she was in a completely different place entirely. From what she could gather, it looked like she was standing on a stage of some sort, facing a long, green chalkboard. Just as she was about to wonder what the heck was going on, an enormous roar of laughter erupted from behind her, accompanied by the occasional trill of wolf-whistles. Whirling around, she saw that she at the front of her old homeroom at the Academy, and the people laughing and whistling at her where her old classmates.

_"_What the hell are you guys laughing at?!" she yelled in annoyance (at Ino in particular), trying to get them to quit making fun of her. Then, as if to answer her, a slight breeze brushed across her bare, naked skin, causing her to hug herself to try and get warmer. _'Wait,' _Sakura thought to herself, _'naked?'_ A grim sense of realization washing over her, she snapped her gaze downward to try and confirm her suspicions, silently praying to every deity she could think of that she was wrong. Sadly, as always, she was right and she was standing in front of her graduating class... stark-naked.

Immediately she shrieked in utter terror and embarrassment, trying her best to cover herself as she thought of a way to escape this living nightmare. But, try as she might, her legs would not obey her commands and remained firmly rooted to the ground, as if she were frozen in place. _'Come on! Move! Damn you, -'_

* * *

_'Move!' _yelled Sasuke frantically as he ran at a breakneck pace though the empty streets of the once glorious Uchiha Clan compound. Night had fallen abruptly, and like in the wilds of the forest that surrounded Konohagakure, the darkness brought the predators out, emboldening them with its evil. And on this night, the most lethal of all those predators had come calling, and was hot on his trail. _'Just keep moving and don't look back!'_

He reached the main street that led out of the compound and saw the main entrance was only a half a block away, standing there like a wide open passageway to sweet freedom and safety. No sooner had thought to breathe a sigh of relief, than he felt a massive flux of chakra behind him, the familiarity of the malicious energy causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.

_'No! I won't let him catch me! Not when I'm so close!'_ Desperation and mind-numbing fear driving him onwards, he focused his chakra in to the soles of his feet, just like Kakashi had taught him, and sped off towards the gate as if Hell itself was nipping at his heels. Suddenly, a blur of movement came out of nowhere and lashed out at him, striking him hard in the solar-plexus and sending him flying backwards into a nearby telephone pole.

"Damn you," Sasuke swore venomously as he hit the ground, coughing up blood as he did so. "Damn you to hell, Itachi!"

"Hmph," scoffed the elder Uchiha brother as he cast his piercing gaze upon Sasuke's sandaled feet. Immediately, the air around them shimmered as the temperature began to rise. All at once a sinister flame, as black as Itachi's own heart, sparked to life and set about devouring his brother, who cried out in pain and enraged agony as the licking tongues of fire began to sear his flesh. "Foolish little brother," mocked Itachi in an emotionless monotone as he turned from his sibling's burning form to meticulously pick at his perfectly manicured nails. "After all these years, did you think I'd forgotten about you? This time, you will be shown no mercy."

"Aaaahhhggghh!!" shrieked Sasuke in pained response as the fire began to creep further up his body towards his head. _'Damn it! Not like this! This isn't happening! There's absolutely no way that-!'_

* * *

_'-This could possibly be real!!'_ reasoned Naruto frantically as he struggled against the steel shackles that bound him to the operating table, gritting his teeth in anger beneath the oxygen mask that had be placed over his mouth. No dice, the bonds on his wrists and ankles were far too strong for him to break free of. The moment he had regained consciousness, he instinctively knew that he was in trouble even before he saw where he was. And where he was couldn't have made for a worse nightmare.

He had awoken surrounded by a feeling of wetness, like he was surrounded by water. When he finally managed to open his eyes, he had seen that he'd been stripped down to his boxers and strapped to an operating table inside an isolation tank filled with clear embryonic nano-fluid, an oxygen mask strapped to his face to keep him alive. At first he wondered where the hell he was, intrigued as to what Kurenai had done to him or sent him. Then the outside of the tank came into view, and he suddenly wished he wasn't so curious. What he saw was darkly akin to a mad scientist's laboratory, only with a bit of a hospital room thrown in. On the walls were LED screens that had pictures of his X-Rayed skeletal structure affixed to them; on the left side of the tank was a group of scientists in white lab coats, writing extensive notes and data on clipboards; and to the right of the tank were three surgeons that were prepped for an operation, wielding crude, bladed instruments of pain.

He was in the secret headquarters of one of the most evil organizations known to mutantkind. A place that still haunted his father in his darkest of nightmares. A place of inhuman cruelty and horror, where his father was twisted and turned into what he was that day by monsters that sought to use him for their own ends.

_Weapon-X_.

_'Come on Naruto!' _the blonde screamed at himself, fighting against his restraints with all he had. _'Wake up! This isn't real! It's only an illusion! How many times have you been brain-jacked in the past and come out on top?! Fight back!'_ Writhing on the operating table with indomitable determination, Naruto rallied all of his mental fortitude and strength to try to shatter the illusion that had entrapped him. Just then, a shadowy figure stepped into view and leaned down over him. As soon as he saw the man's grizzled face, Naruto snarled in pure rage, for this was the man that had betrayed his father and turned him into what he was. Colonel John Wraith.

"Now, don't look so angry kid," smirked the man in sadistic satisfaction. "Think of it this way: we're going to make you and your father, truly family. From this day on, both of you will everything, right down to your bones."

_'Screw you Wraith!' _Naruto growled in hatred, mouthing his thoughts as he strained against the shackles to attempt at attacking the monster of a man. If superhuman strength had been part of his mutation, it would've been an easy feat, seeing as the top of the tank was open to allow the surgeons to begin subjecting him to the process that had given his father his Adamantium skeleton. _'No, get a hold of yourself Naruto. He's only here to try and make you lose focus. You have to stay calm to get out of this.'_

"Colonel Wraith," interrupted one of the surgeons emotionlessly from behind the scarred man, drawing his attention away from Naruto. "We are ready to begin the operation, with your permission of course."

"Of course. You may precede doctor," grinned Wraith cruelly, his voice distorted as it warbled through the liquid to Naruto's ears. Wanting to torment the blonde once more before he began to beg for the sweet release of death, he turned to give the boy a smile full of pure evil. "Pity the anesthesia won't do a damn bit of good for someone with your mutation. Oh well, I guess it just sucks to be you right now, huh?"

_'Come on! Wake up!'_ Naruto shrieked as he struggled to tear free of his bonds, the surgeons closing in on him from all sides. The first had a huge syringe in his hand, no doubt loaded with the raw liquid Adamantium that would soon lace his bones; the second wielded a crude buzz saw in his right hand and a screw gun in his left; and the third held a wickedly sharp scalpel to slice through his skin like a hot knife through butter. _'If you don't do something, then they win! Focus! Wake Up!!'_

Suddenly, a massive jolt of electrical energy shot from his restraints and into his body, coursing through him with white hot intensity. It felt as though every last one of his nerve endings was on fire! He howled in primal agony and pain as the current robbed him of his ability to move, but not his ability to feel and think; they wanted him to be conscious when they cut him open like a _piñata_. Then, just as quickly as it had come, the sensation vanished, leaving him deathly immobile and at the mercy of his captors. Seeing he was now as helpless as a drowned kitten, the surgeons silently reached into the tank and began the operation. The scalpel came down in slow motion, the feeling of the first, lancing incision in his chest like the cut of a _katana_ blade. The amount of pain rising as they opened him up, Naruto felt the heaviness of his mind begin to lessen, as if his assailant was hesitant about continuing the illusion.

_'Gotcha!'_ Naruto smiled wearily as the next cut came. Urging his numb frame to move, he gave a mighty roar of determination and released all of the strength of his will-power to shatter the illusion. Immediately, the laboratory was engulfed in a blinding flash of white light, tearing through everything in sight. _'Heh,'_ smirked Naruto triumphantly as the light enveloped him. _'I guess it sucks to be you right now, huh Wraith?'_

* * *

A fraction of a second following the illusion's destruction, Naruto immediately bolted upright in his chair, gripping the sides of the table as if hanging on for dear life and panting heavily. Cold sweat streamed out of every pore of his skin as the memories of the illusion echoed faintly in his mind. As he tried to calm himself, he looked across the table at the Hokage and Kurenai with a face that all but demanded and explanation. Sarutobi's face was nigh unreadable at the moment, though something in his gaze conveyed a sense of relaxed satisfaction. Kurenai on the other hand, was sporting a look of sincere (if somewhat surprised) curiosity. _'This may be the first time someone's ever successfully slipped out of her illusions,'_ Naruto assumed guardedly as he settled down, closing his mind to outside intrusion in case there were more surprises in store.

"Aaahhh!" shrieked a rightly panicked Sakura as she awoke to his right, her hands shooting up from where they'd hung loose at her sides to cover her chest. Seeing as her face was a bright shade of crimson, Naruto had no trouble guessing what sort of illusion she'd been subjected to. After a second of fright, Sakura quickly realized that she was back in the real world again and let her arms return to their normal positions, her face turning an even deeper shade of red.

"Gah!" yelped Sasuke from her right, causing both her and Naruto to jump slightly. His eyes were as big as dinner-plates, and still held a look of pure, unadulterated terror. He was panting hard, like he was out of breath from trying to outrun the Devil himself, and his pale skin glistened with sweat that trickled over the gooseflesh on his arms and neck. Like with Sakura, Naruto's enhanced sense of smell picked up a fear-scent from Sasuke, but not as lax as her's had been; this one was ten times stronger. Whatever illusion he'd been put in had really spooked him. He looked genuinely _terrified._

"Wh-what the hell was that?!" the Uchiha managed to say, a hint of fright lingering on his lips as he spoke. The presence of a hand on his shoulder caused him to instinctively flinch, only to turn and see that it was only Sakura, trying to comfort him. His breathing slowed a bit, and he began to relax, not wanting her to see him like this. "One minute (pant) I'm here, and the next (gulp) I'm being chased by my damn brother (pant) while he's setting me on fire!"

"It's alright Sasuke-kun," soothed Sakura gently, placing her left hand over his to show him things were going to be okay. "Its over, you can relax."

"She's right Sasuke," Naruto nodded reassuringly. "It was only an illusion, like a genjutsu but stronger." Turning his gaze from his hyperventilating friend for a moment, he cast a sort of accusing glance back at Kurenai, which Sasuke and Sakura followed. "Isn't that right, _Kurenai-sensei_?" he questioned.

"Well, it didn't take a rocket-scientist to figure that one out Naruto," she rebutted with a teasing smirk, prompting an annoyed scowl from the aforementioned blonde. "I must say, Sarutobi was right when he pegged you to be the first to break free of my illusions."

Deciding that a further explanation was needed for Sasuke and Sakura, she continued to describe her powers to them. "My mutant X-Gene gives me the ability to telepathically delve into people's minds, uncover their greatest fears, and more-or-less bring them to life. Normally they're a lot stronger than that, but I lessened the effects for you three. If you had been my enemies, the illusions would've been so real that your bodies would begin to react to them as if they were real; for example, Naruto's skin would begin to bleed from its pores along the lines the scalpel cut in the illusion. Sasuke, your skin would've felt like it was being touched by fire hotter than the Sun's core. And Sakura, well, let's just say that the lesson would've been more 'hands-on' for the class than you would've preferred."

At hearing this, the members of Idenshi-X were both amazed and wary at the same time. The fact that their new sensei was able to invade their 'private thoughts' on a whim like she had was quite disturbing; but on the other hand, the fact that she was a mutant reassured them that they were going to be taught by someone with a lot of experience. While she still felt embarrassed by what she'd gone through, Sakura couldn't help but feel a sense of renewed respect for Kurenai, even if she'd gone a little overboard. Sasuke felt the same way, yet he was profusely angry with himself. If anything, the illusion proved that he needed to get stronger, that he was still too weak to face his brother now... even with his mutation.

Naruto, however, was happily satisfied by what he'd just witnessed. Here he had been concerned that their new sensei wouldn't be able to deal with training them as mutants, and now his fears had been put to rest. Granted, her somewhat theatrical demonstration had been a bit over the top, but that just when to show them that she was the right person to teach them. "Well," he finally said, raising out of his chair and extending a hand to Kurenai, "despite the freaky illusions, I think that I speak for everyone here when I say that Oij-sama couldn't have picked a better shinobi for the job. We'd be honored to have you as our new sensei."

"Now, hold on a moment Naruto," Kurenai interjected smoothly, her expression becoming a bit more serious as she spoke. "I don't recall my saying that I agreed to all of this." Rightly surprised, Naruto stood there for a moment dumbstruck, then sank back into his chair. He needed to try and make sense of what she'd just said. Why would she refuse to mentor them?

"Naruto," she continued in a firm, yet caring tone that bordered on motherly, "I honestly have no desire to act as your leader at this moment in time. I feel that my own squad needs my guidance now more than you do, and personally, I'm not all that comfortable with having powers be known to others, even if they are mutants like you three claim to be. I'm only here because Sandaime-sama told me that his was a mandated priority. I still have the option of backing out of all this. However, I'm willing to give you all a chance to prove yourselves." As she spoke, she calmly reached into one of the folds of her bandolier/scroll. "That is,_ if _you three can successfully retrieve these."

* * *

"What?!" Sakura exclaimed in shocked disbelief, bolting straight out of her chair as soon as she saw what Kurenai held between her slender fingers.

"Ugh, not this again," groaned an irritated Sasuke, pinching his brow in annoyance. _'I think the last time we did this, I nearly got a frickin' complex.'_ After what happened the last time they went through this, he never expected he'd be going through it a second time.

"Man, you Jounin must share teaching methods or something," Naruto grinned slyly as he shook his head in sheer amazement of what he saw before him.

With an equally sly grin plastered on her face, Kurenai deftly held a pair of small, silver jingle-bells in her grasp, both connected by a length of wire like they had been when Kakashi had given them this particular test. As he watched the bells hang there for a moment, Naruto took the time to reflect on all that had happened since the last time they had been subjected to the Bell Test. When they were first starting out, they all bore a sort of mutual dislike for each other in some form or another. However, in the weeks that followed the test, they had learned to accept one another and became more of a team. Though they probably wouldn't admit it straight away, they all sort of felt like they owed Kakashi for that lesson. However, what Kurenai said next got them thinking a bit differently.

"Kakashi-sempai recommended this to me upon learning that I was to be your instructor," explained Kurenai calmly, chuckling slightly at Naruto's statement, "so I can assume that you all know the main objective of the test. However, there is a catch this time around: you may only use your mutant abilities and taijutsu skills. Use ninja techniques or weaponry, and you will be disqualified and immediately fail. Sandaime-sama will oversee this test and ensure that both parties abide by its rules. Succeed, and you will have proven that you can work together using your powers, and that I'll be investing my time in something worthwhile by training you. Fail, and life will go on as usual for me, and you will have to find a new sensei. Understand?"

Naruto was silent for a moment, considering everything that Kurenai had said. After they nearly failed this test miserably the last time, did they have what it took to succeed as a team this time? Warily, Naruto turned his head slightly towards his teammates, looking to how they would react to this test. Sensing his uneasy gaze, Sakura looked him straight in the eye and gave a short nod of understanding, smiling at him warmly as she did so. Sasuke also nodded in return, a faint flicker of a smile touching his lips. Satisfied by their reactions, Naruto flashed them his trademark foxy grin and slammed his left fist against his opposing palm, activating his clothes' Unstable Molecules and transforming them into his crimson X.S.E. uniform.

"Sure, I understand alright," he said boldly, a twinge of laughter in his voice. "But enough chatter, what do you say we get this underway, right guys?"

"Right, Naruto," agreed a determined Sakura, raising to her feet and walking over to stand by his side.

"Hmph, sure," shrugged Sasuke with a sarcastic smirk, getting up to stand at his side opposite of Sakura. "Let's do this, dobe."

Smiling in content with what she saw before her, Kurenai set her gaze on the three mutant Genin before her and swiftly secured the bells to one of her bandolier/scrolls. This would be quite interesting indeed. "Yes, let's get started then," she said coolly, her eyes darting to Sarutobi only for a moment before returning to her opponents. "Sandaime-sama, if you would be so kind?"

"Of course, Kurenai," chuckled Sarutobi good-naturedly, puffing a smoke-ring from his pipe as he raised his hand to give the signal. In the seconds that followed, he gazed at the Genin that stood before him, ready to show their new sensei what they were truly made of. _'If only Minato were alive to see this,'_ he thought nostalgically. _'I think he would be very proud... of all of them.' _Deciding to save such sentimentality for a later time, he relaxed his arm and allowed his hand to fall. "Begin!"

* * *

The very second he saw Sarutobi's hand come down, Naruto sprang into action, unsheathing his plasma claws at blinding speeds and uttering a harsh battle cry. In one fluid motion, he launched himself over the table and descended upon Kurenai claws first, causing the kunoichi to leap backward to avoid the red hot blades. Her short jump carried her into the air before gracefully landing in a crouch on the marble banister behind her. With his instincts as his guide, Naruto landed on the spot where Kurenai had been on all-fours and then lunged upwards to slash at the bandolier/scroll that held the bells. However, his opponent was much faster, back-flipping just out of his reach to land softly on the grass of the back lawn. Naruto quickly vaulted over the banister with equal skill and ran at Kurenai low to the ground, arms out at either side with claws barely raking the ground.

"Excellent moves Naruto," remarked Kurenai sincerely as she leapt over the leg sweep he'd thrown her direction. "You really have a knack for the martial arts, and your mutation-" She twisted wildly in midair to avoid the scything claws that came at her from below as sort of a slash/uppercut. "-Is nothing to scoff at either."

"Thanks Kurenai-sensei," the blonde grinned as he continued to slash at his opponent with a flurry of neon streaks as his claws carved through the air. He seemed to be gaining ground, when suddenly, he abruptly frozen in mid-slice just centimeters away from one of the bells. Surprised by this sudden freeze, he initially tried to force his arm into moving, but no dice. It was then that he noticed the tree. Somehow, Kurenai had managed to entrap him in another illusion that seemed to meld his molecules with those a massive oak tree that had sprung up out of thin air. Furious at himself for falling for the same trap twice, he whipped his head around to get a fix on Kurenai's location, hoping to zero in on her mind and shatter the mirage. Strangely enough, the crimson kunoichi was no where to be found.

"However," came the woman's calm voice from above him. Startled, Naruto snapped his head upwards to see Kurenai starting to _peel _out of the bark of the tree just inches away from his head, as if she had become a part of it! "You can't use the same tactics on me that you used on Kakashi-sempai," she continued nonchalantly, materializing a kunai out of thin air as she spoke. "You of all people should know not to give a psion the Bum's Rush. I know from Sandaime-sama that you can use your claws as projectiles, so that should've been the course of action to take. Instead, you assumed you could attack head on, and because of that, I caught you. Sorry, but I'm starting to think maybe I gave you three way too much credit."

Seconds before she could say another word, a shimmering beam of golden beta energy tore through Kurenai's illusion as if it were mere paper, on a direct collision course for the kunoichi's center of mass. Cursing herself under her breath for losing focus, she regrettably exhumed her form from the 'tree' and released her mental hold on Naruto, causing him to regain his stolen momentum and lurch forward to resume his now useless attack. The blonde caught himself, however, and cast a quick glance behind him to see Sasuke and Sakura rushing to his defense, the latter's hands enveloped in two halos of glimmering beta energy. Turning his attention back to the task at hand, Naruto looked back at Kurenai and readied himself to attack. Only this time, something seemed different about the crimson kunoichi. She looked visibly drained to say the least small beads of sweat appearing on her brow as she began to breath heavily.

"Naruto!" Sakura called out urgently, snapping his senses back to reality. Taking advantage of his confusion, Kurenai performed a quick series of flashing hand seals, and then vanished into thin air. He was about to call her out on this, but then remembered that only they were forbade from using ninjutsu in this contest.

"Damn it, Naruto!" Sakura raged at him once more, powering down and flicking him on the forehead as she did so. "What the hell were you thinking... again?! I thought we agreed to work through this as a team, not jump in like idiots!"

"Sakura's right dobe," Sasuke agreed coolly, staring at Naruto with an annoyed scowl. "We're supposed to be doing this together, but instead you fly off the handle and try to muscle through this without us."

"Hey, at least I knew what I was doing!" retorted Naruto in irritation, a vein throbbing above his left temple as he spoke. _'Why the hell did she have to flick me like that?! They should've been following my lead, not standing around waiting for me to tell them what to do!'_

"Oh yeah, that's exactly what it looked like from where I was standing," argued Sakura sarcastically. "So, you were planning on getting caught like a moron? How stupid are you Naruto?! Was all that stuff you said earlier about us being a team and working together just an act, or does it not apply to someone who's an _'official'_ X-Man?!"

"My seniority with the X-Men has nothing to do with this!" Naruto shot back angrily, before finally coming to his senses. She was right after all. He had simply blown off everything he'd said that Idenshi-X would stand for, acting like he was in charge when it was supposed to be a team-effort. Some leader he was turning out to be. "But, you're right, I'm sorry Sakura," he apologized sincerely calming himself down. "I let my instincts get the better of me and forgot what we were up against, what we were supposed to be... a team. Damn, I'm such a moron!"

"That aside, we need to turn this around somehow," mused Sasuke calmly, his eyes clouded with incite and consideration. "After releasing you from that last attack, she appeared to be worn out, like so many illusions after another weakened her. This could give us an edge..." Sasuke became silent for a moment, analyzing their opponent's behavior and concocting a strategy. "Okay, I've got a plan," he explained in a low tone, "but for it to work, I'll need both of you to keep Kurenai distracted. That should buy me enough time for it to work."

"Sasuke," Naruto started to say, an old feeling of mutual rivalry welling up within him, "I'm not so sure about-"

"Come on Naruto, think about it!" interjected Sakura sternly, trying to be the voice of reason in this conversation. "This isn't like fighting super-villains back in America; tactics like yours won't always work. I think we should try Sasuke's idea. If it doesn't work, that only means we'll have to come up with something else on our next attempt. But I've got a good feeling about this, trust me."

Naruto was silent for a moment. Like it or not, she was right. If they wanted to have any chance of getting those bells a second time, they needed to work together to do it. They were a team now, and they needed to start acting like it. And that meant trusting one another, even when it seemed like a bad idea. Though he wouldn't admit it, Sasuke did have more experience fighting 'real' shinobi than he did. This was probably their best bet if they wanted to succeed this time around. "Alright, we'll cover you," he finally said, swallowing the small amount of pride in his mind as spoke. "But Sasuke, if this goes wrong, I'll take charge from then on, got it?"

For a moment, Sasuke looked surprised by his immediate willingness to go ahead with his plan. Then his expression became one of cool taunting as a sarcastic smirk touched his lips. "Trust me on this one dobe," he replied nonchalantly. "If you could trust me when we fought Zabuza with your plan, can't you at least trust me this time?"

Before he could offer a witty retort, Naruto's highly trained ears picked up the sound of sudden movement converging somewhere nearby. Whipping his head around towards the source of the noise, he saw that Kurenai had teleported to the middle of the lawn, standing there in relaxed manner as if daring them to come at her.

_'Looks like someone's got her strength back,'_ Naruto observed cautiously before motioning to histeammates as if to say 'let's to this'. Without warning, all three of them leapt into action and ran at their opponent with determined strides; Naruto to her left, Sakura to her right, and Sasuke straight on. Kurenai shook her head, as if she were disappointed by their predictable performance, and tossed a hailstorm of kunai at them. Naruto nimbly dodged the blades with a quick aerial flip then took a flying leap into the branches of a nearby tree line and began launching a barrage of plasma claws at her as he teleported from branch to branch in a flickering series of inky, black smoke. To the Jounin's right, Sakura dropped to the ground hard, allowing the kunai to pass harmlessly overhead before popping up in a firing crouch and promptly vaporizing the remaining knives that assailed Naruto and Sasuke in a powerful burst of beta energy. Upon seeing that they were both safe, she quickly directed her energy blasts at Kurenai, Naruto adding to the assault with a fair amount of plasma claws.

_'They're more coordinated this time,'_ observed Kurenai as she performed a series of back flips to avoid the combined attacks. _'They're working together instead of on their own. Perhaps there is hope for them after all.'_ Relaxing her body, the crimson kunoichi began to expertly bob, vault, weave, and dance around the mutant Genin's assaults as if she were some majestic ballerina performing on stage. So nimble was she that none of the sizzling busts of energy ever came close to touching her once. "Nice work," she shouted at them approvingly as she ducked under a hail of plasma claws.

"Thanks, now watch this!" Sakura returned cheerily drawing her hands back to her sides. As she did so, the air around her clenched firsts began to give off an audible _hum_, the beta energy encompassing them spiraling faster and glowing brighter all the while. Then with a hearty yell, she thrust her hands out before her, palms facing directly at Kurenai as a massive burst of beta energy shot toward her with incredible speed.

_'Incredible,'_ marveled a wide-eyed Kurenai as she watched the variable wall of beta energy bear down on her. Then, just as it seemed she would surely be struck by the monstrous blast, she regained her composure and hastily dove to her right, allowing the energy to pass her by harmlessly, scorching the unfortunate blades of grass and topiary sculptures that remained in its path. _'Such skill, and she's only just discovered her abilities. Sakura of the three of them has much untapped potential. If they succeed, I'll have to watch her very closely.'_

"Losing focus are we, Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto taunted from his hidden perch in the trees, snapping the crimson kunoichi from her thoughts. Before she could even attempt to get a fix on his position, she was forced to leap back as another wave of plasma claws came flying at her from the leaves. "Now who's the one that's been given too much credit?" shouted the blonde from his hiding spot in the trees as he loosed another volley of claws at Kurenai, who promptly had to jump aside to avoid them. As he watched the Jounin evade his expertly aimed blades, only to be forced to perform the same feat as Sakura's blasts followed his attack, he turned his masked gaze to Sasuke, who was busy sprinting around their line of fire, his keen eyes still trained on Kurenai's position. _'Come on teme, what's your damage?! This is your plan here, make a move already!'_

"You know Naruto," Kurenai managed to say as she landed in a crouch from dodging Sakura's attack, "you aren't really the one to be making snappy remarks like that." Again, a tightly packed burst of plasma claws spat from the dense foliage and bore down on the crimson kunoichi. Kurenai simply skipped backwards to avoid this attack, the blades biting into the spot where she had been old seconds ago. "From what Kakashi-sempai told me, you have nigh impeccable aim with those claws of yours. But from the performance you've been giving, maybe he was just trying to psyche me out."

"Or maybe Naruto has been aiming to miss all this time, Kurenai-sensei," suggested a serene voice from behind her, causing the hackles on the back of her neck to stand on end. "Did that thought ever occur to you?"

"What?" exclaimed the Jounin in justified surprise, attempting to turn and face her third pupil. But it was too late, as a faction of a second later, she felt Sasuke's hand latch onto the bare flesh of her arm and she cried out in pain as his power took in her own. For Kurenai, experiencing the pain and shock brought on by Sasuke's absorption abilities for the first time was almost unbearable; Sasuke, however, reveled in the invigorating ecstasy of the energy and power that he leeched from her. Oh, how long it had been since he had felt that wonderful rush of raw power coursing through his veins. Just thinking about it brought an odd smile to his face as his mutation greedily devoured the energy from her own abilities. Breaking contact now was regrettable but he knew that he had to see his plan through for his teammates' sakes. The moment he reluctantly released her, it was as if a great door had been somehow unlocked in his mind, showing him what someone like Kurenai was capable of.

_'Wow,'_ thought Sasuke in awe as the infinite realms of his own mind swirled around him in radiant techno-color, invisible to all but himself. _'So, this is what being a psion feels like. Amazing.'_ All this beauty, all this potential, all this _power_. It was his and his alone. There was no doubt in his mind now; he had made the right choice. The path to victory over his brother lay with Idenshi-X. Together, they'd be unstoppable and he would finally fulfill his destiny.

Kurenai fell to one knee on the lawn, her crimson eyes wide with fright and shock as she found herself gasping frantically for breath. _'What in the hell was that?!'_ she panicked frantically, though she only allowed herself to think this and not show it on her expression. _'It felt like something inside of him was starting to eat at me from the inside out! A few minutes longer and... What on Earth is he?' _

Suddenly, a pair of sandaled feet appeared in her peripheral vision, the sight of them breaking her out of her thoughts as she reflexively cast her gaze upwards to see the face of their owner. Sasuke stared down at her with a triumphant grin on his face, his eyes glowing an unearthly red to reflect both his active Sharingan and mutation. Before she could marshal an attempt to escape, the Uchiha swiftly whipped out his arm and lightly tapped the middle and index fingers of his right hand to Kurenai's forehead. She flinched apprehensively for a moment at his touch, then let out an audible groan of exhaustion as her head felt very heavy all of a sudden and her vision began to swim.

"Tag, you're it," he smirked in success as he turned her own powers against her and her entire world vanished in a sea of darkness, his mind entrapping hers within itself. Before she blacked out, however, she did hear something that made her smile in pleased approval. It was the shrill chime of a pair of jingle-bells striking against one another in their own melodic cheer of success.

_Bring-Brriinng._

* * *

**Phew! Man, that took a long time to write! I hope you guys like how things are turning out so far. Now, don't tune out just yet, for there is still more to come for our new X-Men in training and there are more questions to be answered. Seeing as they defeated her, will Kurenai follow through with her end of their agreement and become their new sensei? Will they become a successful team? And what lies ahead for your young heroes? All this and more will be answered soon enough, so stay tuned! Remember to R&R. _EXCELSIOR!_**


	15. 15 Parental Control

**Greetings and _Bienvenue,_ True Believers. Heh, just a little V.V. Argost humor for you before we get started on the fanfic. Well, it took a lot of effort; but with the help of my beta-reader, symbiotic, I managed to finally pull it off. Speaking of which, I feel it is high time that he recieve credit for officially naming Naruto's X-Men team, Idenshi-X. Now, when we last left our young, mutant shinobi, they had finally succeeded in taking the bells from Kurenai, but not before she was caught in an illusion that Sasuke created by copying her powers! Now, as she wakens from the event, what lies instore for Naruto and his friends? Read on to find out what happens next...

* * *

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**Chapter 15: Parental Control.**

"Ugh, my aching head," groaned Kurenai groggily as she tried to rise to a sitting position and rubbed at her eyes sleepily. She had been dealt her fair share of blows to the head in her time as a Jounin, and a number of them had left her with more than just a splitting headache the following morning. But what Sasuke had done by turning her own powers against her may have been the worst of those ordeals so far. Even now her head was still ringing. That aside, she had to admit they had thought out their plan pretty well. They'd beaten her after all and managed to retrieve the bells without much of an effort.

"That's the last time I every let my guard down fighting those kids," she mumbled as she rose shakily to her feet and looked around. "Heh, great," she sighed sarcastically as she surveyed her surroundings, which reminded her of an old Eagles song she'd heard as a Chunin. _'Welcome to the Hotel California.' _While she had hoped to awaken to find herself on the soft, grassy lawn of the Namikaze Estates, she was instead greeted by the gloomy, dark interior of what appeared to be a small, black box. It was spacious enough to allow her to stand and spread her arms out in four directions, yet restricting enough that she couldn't walk but two full steps without hitting a genuinely solid wall. Simple, yet annoyingly effective. Sasuke could hold this illusion for hours (if he so chose to) without so much as breaking a sweat.

"I'll say this for him," she admitted approvingly to herself as she carefully felt her hands along the walls of the box, in search of some sort of weak point, "he's a pretty smart kid." Just as she said this, she felt a gentle sensation caress the open palm of her left hand, caused her to smile coyly in sly satisfaction. Her hand had just run over a small fissure in the north wall of the box, one that was large enough to allow "air" to flow through. Though she knew that what her senses registered as a wafting breeze was in reality a small thread of Sasuke's thoughts that he had allowed to flow through the box in order to create and maintain it.

_'Where ever there's an impressive idea,'_ she reasoned factually as she mustered her own mental strength behind one of her fists and drew it back, poised to strike_, 'there's a shred of the imagination that spawned it!'_ With a harsh _"Ki-ya!"_ her arm shot out in a powerful straight punch that connected against the side of the box where the fissure lay. Seconds later, a series of miniscule, hairline cracks spidered out from the point of impact and spread to all sides of the box. In an ear-splitting crash, the box unceremoniously shattered, allowing Kurenai to be engulfed in a blinding white light.

_'They've got a lot to learn,'_ she smiled knowingly as she allowed the light to take her, sending her mind back to her own body. _'And... I don't think I mind too terribly that I'll be the one teaching them.'_

* * *

Having successfully broken through Sasuke's ingenious illusion, Kurenai immediately bolted upright from where she lay on the back lawn of the Namikaze Estates, panting slightly from her efforts and wincing at the small headache she'd developed as a result of her capture. Surprisingly, she looked up to see that she was surrounded by Naruto, Sasuke (who was painfully massaging his right temple from the effects of psionic backlash that her escape had caused) and Sakura, who all regarded her with looks of sincere concern. For a moment, she was a bit confused, but then she remembered that this was only an exercise and she relaxed.

"Are you alright, Kurenai-sensei?" Sakura asked, concern and slight worry staining her voice.

"Yes, I'm fine Sakura," smiled Kurenai pleasantly as she slowly rose to her feet, wincing slightly with the sudden flare up of a massive migraine as she rose, but smiling to reassure them she was truly okay. "I will say this though: I don't think I've been happier to be out of that box. Good job by the way Sasuke, that was an excellent illusion. I don't think I could've done much better myself."

"Hmph," shrugged the Uchiha nonchalantly. "Thanks, I guess."

"Still, I'm glad you're okay Kurenai-sensei," Naruto admitted truthfully as he got to his feet and began working an annoying kink out of his shoulder blade. "By the way, think you may have lost something when you fell." Satisfied that the pain had gone down a bit, he wordlessly reached into his left jacket pocket and triumphantly produced the pair of jingle-bells that they had successfully managed to take from her. "I guess this means that we won then," he grinned slyly, twitching his hand just enough to get the bells chiming in a soft ring of victory.

"Heh, I guess so," admitted Kurenai with a good-natured chuckle at the blonde's enthusiasm, extending her hand to signal Naruto that it was okay to give the bells back to her now. As he handed them over, Kurenai allowed her eyes to dart over in the direction of the patio for a moment. Sitting calmly at the table where they had been only minutes earlier, Sarutobi watched her reactions with quiet understanding. After a quick puff on his long pipe, he gave her a warm smile and nodded his head slightly in agreement. Happily returning his smile, Kurenai shifted her gaze back to the three Genin before her and gave them the same comforting look. "Well then, a deal's a deal. You've all three shown me that you have what it takes to be willing to work together and use your abilities to achieve great things. I'll be more than happy to be your team's new sensei."

"You really mean it?" Naruto questioned skeptically, though there was a detectable hint of hope and excitement in his voice.

"Of course I mean it Naruto," laughed Kurenai in amusement. At that moment, she could've sworn that she'd never seen a more happier child than Naruto. The very second she confirmed her acceptance as their new sensei, the blonde let out a joyous yell of excitement and leapt straight into the air, punching his fist skyward at the height of his jump. Sakura had somewhat of a similar reaction, though not as over-the-top as Naruto's, as she happily gave her whiskered teammate a well-met high-five once he came back down. Sasuke simply smirked at the news, barely even batting an eye as though he had expected this all along.

_'Well Kurenai,'_ she said to herself calmly, watching at least two of her new charges celebrate their victory. _'Looks like you'll be training two groups of promising young shinobi. I hope Kiba's not going to be too disappointed.'_ Considering that such thoughts were best left for later, she turned her attention back to the mutant Genin before her and motioned for Naruto and Sakura to settle down. "Alright, alright, let's bring it all in," she urged them firmly; just enough to let them know that it was time to get to work. "Now, seeing as I'm your new sensei, I say we start on some mental strength training. As you saw earlier with my illusions, your mind's need as much training as your bodies do. So, if you're ready, then let's begin."

* * *

**A Week and Two Days Later...**

Things had really taken off for Idenshi-X following their success in completing Kurenai's Bell Test. Though a bit apprehensive at having a person who could know your every though by their side, Naruto and his friends quickly began to warm up to the idea of having her training them. She in turn used every opportunity she had to help them learn how to fine-tune their control over their newfound powers, teaching them everything she had learned on her own. When she wasn't coaching them about how to use their abilities, she was working on their teamwork skills and forging them into a stronger squad. Although she wasn't sure about some things, such as how to combat certain metahumans, Naruto was more than willing to give his advice and she happily accepted it.

Right now, however, she had more pressing matters to attend to than reminiscing on their short nine days together. She was deeply engrossed in accessing her new charges' performance in the exercise they were currently tasked with. Following the bell test, Sakura had adamantly pleaded with Naruto to finish their unfinished tour of the Namikaze Estate, which he agreed to do seeing as Kurenai admitted that she wished to see more of the mansion as well. Halfway into the tour, he introduced them to a spacious room on the ground floor that he had rightly nicknamed, the "Sweat Shop". It was a large, metallic room twice the size of a standard living room, yet it was crafted with sensors and lenses made from advanced Shi'ar technology that projected solid hard-light images onto the air, capable of creating a vast array of training scenarios. Naruto had said that it was the sister-model of the Danger Room back in Westchester and, after a brief explanation, she had immediately assigned it as a regular part of their training regiment. Even now, as she watched them combat the holographic 'phantoms' of a mock Sentinel attack on New York City from the control center above, she was analyzing every move they made, looking for ways to help them improve and fine-tune their control over their powers.

"Hmm," she mused thoughtfully as she watched Sakura back flip away from a Sentinel's massive fist as it crashed to the pavement where she once stood. The pink-haired kunoichi swiftly responded with a powerful beam of beta-energy to the mechanical behemoth's chest cavity, causing it to stumble backwards and slam into one of it's contemporaries that menaced a group of civilians. The stunned machine then fell over itself and toppled into a building, tearing open the face of the structure before damaging one of its articular joints on a jagged girder. As it attempted to right itself, Naruto sprang into action and tore open the back of its head with his plasma claws, exposing the beast's central processor for Sakura to vaporize with another tightly focused blast of white-hot energy.

"Sakura seems to be getting the hang of controlling the output of power on her energy blasts, good," she muttered aloud contently as she turned her attention to Sasuke, who was using his Sharingan to anticipate the Sentinel's movements and properly counterattack with the plasma claws he'd 'borrowed' from Naruto. Although these opponents were not what they were all used to fighting, both Kurenai and her new team quickly picked up on these mechanized monstrosities' weaknesses and found ways to work together to defeat them.

Even now, the Uchiha nimbly leapt aside to avoid being crushed underneath one of the robot's heels, and then lashed out with a slash at the beast's exposed joints that substituted for its Achilles Tendon as it came down. The mechanical creature shuddered for a moment, then fell to one knee as it suddenly lost mobility in its right leg. Seeing the opening, Naruto quickly lined up the Sentinel's head from where he stood with his claws, then snapped off a short burst of _**Kami Hanabi**_, which decimated its brains with a thunderous explosion. "Naruto and Sasuke's teamwork and synergy is also improving as well," she observed poignantly as they continued with the exercise, chuckling at memory from the first time she saw them. 'Heh, it's a hell of a lot better than having them argue in mid-combat like they usually do."

Inside the simulation, Naruto gave Sasuke a momentary thumbs-up before turning his attention back to a duo of Sentinels that loomed menacingly over a busy intersection, its haunting eyes emitting the same eerie glow that sent mutants running in terror... well, most mutants. Naruto, however, was somewhat of a special case. Leaping from carhood to carhood, he slowly closed the gap between himself and the huge giant before him. With one last powerful jump, he launched himself at a nearby brick apartment building, kicked off the side using a chakra-assisted foot and descended upon the monster, his face contorted in a gleeful war-cry. He immediately dug his claws deep into the robot's metal hide on impact, then scurried around to its back and out of reach of its oversized digits. As it twisted and turned in its attempts to dislodge him, Naruto spotted Sasuke and Sakura evacuating some civilians and gave a short, shrill whistle in their general direction. Hearing his call over the dull roar of panicking humans, the two made sure the people were safe, then turned to give him their aid. Skirting around its shuffling legs with superhuman agility, Sasuke repeated his earlier action with the creature's thick ankles and leapt clear, Naruto following suit close behind as he released his hold on the robot's back. Seconds later, the Sentinel dropped to the street with a raucous _THOOM!_, its spinal column severed by one of Sakura's energy blasts.

_'Epic battles, civilians in peril, and nonstop action around every corner,'_ thought Naruto with a satisfied smirk as he hit the ground in a low crouch, the heat radiating from the Sentinel's smoking frame warm on his back._ 'Now __this__ is the kind of training I live for!'_ Yet, despite the fact that he was enjoying himself in a training environment he was most comfortable in, he caught himself glancing suspiciously to his right, knowing that behind the ingenious hologram Kurenai was most likely taking notes on their performance. _'Too bad we've gotta be watched like little kids the entire time though. But then again, Dad, Scott, and Cable all used to do the same thing back home.'_

His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the scream of numerous high-powered thruster jets, heralding the arrival of more inbound Sentinels. Directing his gaze towards their new targets, the young X-Man enthusiastically pumped another surge of chakra into his claws, readying himself to attack once more. Beside him, he heard a soft grunt of momentary discomfort as Sasuke again 'borrowed' Sakura's powers for double the advantage. Looking back to ensure his teammates were ready, he saw Sakura give Sasuke a happy smile, which the dark-haired by returned as he manifested an aura of beta-energy around his clawed hands. Then, just as suddenly as they had begun their ominous descent, the Sentinels abruptly froze mid-flight, hovering in the air. Clearly surprised by what had happened, all three mutants turned their attention to the rest of the holographic surroundings, only to find that it was frozen as well. Bricks halted mid-air, inches before they fell to the crowded streets below; panicking civilians were abruptly locked in the process of fleeing in terror; even the flames from the Sentinel's booster rockets had stopped dead in empty space.

"What's going on here dobe?" Sasuke demanded in an annoyed tone, deactivating his Sharingan and releasing his copied mutations.

"Don't look me Sasuke-teme," Naruto rebutted defensively, sheathing his claws as he tried to make sense of what was happening. "I didn't do anything. I was actually looking forward to blasting some more Sentinels into the scrapheap."

**"My deepest apologies, Naruto-kun,"** answered Cerebra's sincere, echoing voice as her shimmering, blue image materialized before the three of them. **"But, it was I who paused the simulation."**

"Please tell me you had good reason in doing so Cerebra," pleaded Naruto, a noticeable hint of irritation and disappointment in his voice as he spoke. His eyes darted to the right for a moment, the odd sight of a flock fleeing pigeons hanging in midair distracting him momentarily. "We were about to set a new record for this simulation when you interrupted!"

**"Yes, I understand that and you have my sincerest of regrets for disturbing the three of you while you were in the middle of training,"** replied the A.I. sympathetically as it over rid the projection commands for the simulation, returning the room to it's original, metallic state.** "However, I simply wished to inform you that your father wishes to speak with you."**

"Dad?!" exclaimed Naruto in pleased surprise, the news causing him to forget all about his annoyance with Cerebra. Upon hearing the mention of Naruto's father, Sasuke and Sakura both felt a bit of genuine excitement take root within them. They'd heard a lot of stories about Wolverine through their conversations with Naruto and Kakashi, yet they didn't really know much about him. Now it seemed like they were finally going to get the chance to meet him! However, based on what they had heard, they also began to wonder if that was a good thing. Sakura was truly excited to get a chance to meet Naruto's father (having heard about him for so long), however she was still a little nervous because of his 'bloody' reputation. Sasuke wasn't as much hesitant as he was curious. With someone as merciless as Wolverine on his side, his goal could be accomplished twice as fast and there was so much he could learn from him too.

**"Yes, indeed,"** confirmed Cerebra with a warm smile, reminding him of his Aunt Moira for a second. **"He wishes to know how things are progressing in the village, and with your new team. If you like, I'll put him on screen."**

"Put him through," replied the blonde anxiously, barely keeping a lid on his excitement. Nodding slightly in compliance, Cerebra's face became blank for a moment, and then began to flicker and reshape itself as it took on the form of Wolverine's head. As the A.I.'s transformation continued, the silver, automatic door leading to the room retracted to allow a concerned Kurenai entrance into the eminent conversation.

"What's going on?" she asked immediately, confused by the shifting form of Cerebra's holographic image. "Why did the simulation stop? You three were doing really well."

"Cerebra deactivated the program to tell Naruto his dad wanted to talk to him," answered Sakura absent-minded as she continued to watch the A.I.'s transformation with a strong sense of amazement and curiosity. She had gotten to know Cerebra pretty well over the past few days, but she had learned by now that she was full of surprises indeed.

_'Naruto's... father?'_ thought Kurenai warily as she turned her attention back to the reforming, amorphous mass that was Cerebra's face. She had heard both Kakashi and Sarutobi tell extremely vivid war stories about Wolverine's savage bloodlust in battle and his efficiency against Iwagakure's forces during the Third Great Shinobi War, and remembering those tales sent shivers down her spine. If that's what he was like in combat, then what could he possibly be like in a normal setting?

Now, as the four of them watched her, the strange metamorphosis finally completed and the gruff face of Wolverine now hovered were Cerebra's once did. This was the first time that Sasuke, Sakura, and Kurenai had ever laid eyes on the man, but they could immediately tell he was not someone to mess with. He had a handsome face that looked as though it had been chiseled from raw stone, a faint tinge of black stubble speckling his strong chin. His jet black hair was slicked back a bit, but flared out at the sides to resemble something similar to a bat's ears and his eyes held a sort of cold determination within them, letting all who met his gaze know that if they were enemies that he'd kill them just as soon as look at them. However, this steel-hard gaze softened visibly as his eyes fell on Naruto.

**"Naruto,"** he said in a fatherly tone. **"It's good to see you again. Feels like the last time we talked like this, you were still in the Academy."**

"Aw, come on Dad," Naruto insisted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. "It hasn't been that long. Still, it's good to see you again. How are things back in the States? Is everyone getting along alright?"

**"Yeah, everything's going just fine,"** Logan said, though he paused hesitantly after that, his expression showing that he'd remembered something contrary to what he'd just said. **"Well, almost everything. There's been a couple attacks on the Institute lately. Nothin' major, just the Blob and a bunch'a other dumb-asses who think they're hot stuff. Also, there was a small 'incident' with Venom a few weeks ago that left a lot of us black 'n blue. I've been tryin' to track him down for a couple days now to... 'repay' him fer his visit, but I lost the trail somewhere around JFK International Airport. Thinkin' maybe he skipped town."**

"Heh, don't sweat it Dad," smirked the young X-Man nonchalantly. "He'll turn up eventually."

**"All the same, you should probably keep an eye out for him in your neck of the woods too,"** warned Logan precautiously. **"A lotta people may not know about the Elemental Nations, but it's better to be safe then sorry, especially were ole' Fang-'n-Tongue is concerned. That sucker's got a bad habit of poppin' up when you least expect it."**

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind Dad," Naruto reassured him calmly.

**"Good,"** replied Wolverine, satisfied by his response. It was then that he noticed Sasuke, Sakura, and Kurenai standing a few feet behind Naruto, still watching their conversation in captivated intrigue. **"So, aren't you going to introduce to your friends, son?"**

Naruto was puzzled for a moment, wondering what his father meant by that. Then he remembered about his friends, and turned to give his dad an introduction. "Oh, right," he said in embarrassment, mentally kicking himself for forgetting his teammates and sensei. "Sorry. Dad, this is Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Yuuhi Kurenai. Sasuke and Sakura are the first two members of Idenshi-X, and Kurenai is our new Jounin-sensei."

**"It's nice to finally meet you,"** Logan intoned respectfully, the holographic form of his head inclining forwards to indicate that he was bowing to them. The three of them started for a moment at seeing someone who was supposed to be a savage killer act so polite, but they thanked him and returned his bow. **"As my son has probably told you, my name is James Howlett, though I prefer to be called Logan. But when I'm working, people call me Wolverine." **Having said this, Wolverine turned his head back to Naruto. **"So, they're mutants, aren't they?"**

"Heh, see for yourself Dad," chuckled the blonde in slight amusement, gesturing subtly to Sasuke and Sakura to demonstrate their abilities for his father. A little hesitant at first, seeing as Logan's very gaze unnerved her, Sakura finally took a deep breath to calm herself and shut her eyes tight in quiet concentration. Almost a millisecond later, twin orbs of spiraling, golden beta energy had materialized around her hands. Beside her, Sasuke's dark eyes became blood-red as he invoked his Sharingan to trigger his own mutation and lightly tapped Naruto and Sakura's arms. Both of them shuddered uncomfortably for a moment as the sudden transfer of power took place, while Sasuke grinned madly as the now all too familiar rush of power overwhelmed him. Once all was said and done, the Uchiha proudly sported a set of blazing plasma claws at the tips of his fingers like Naruto and his hands were wreathed in a warm halo of beta energy like Sakura's were.

**"Impressive,"** nodded Logan sincerely as his critical gaze swept over the two Genin. **"A kunoichi with energy powers, and an Uchiha with powers like Rogue's, kinda ironic."** Then his eyes fell on Kurenai, who had yet to give him a demonstration of her abilities. Her calm, icy stare somewhat unsettled Wolverine when they gaze met. Logan had known many women in his life, and had seen them all display a vast range of emotions when interacting with him in their relationship. And right now, Kurenai's feelings were as plain to see as the nose on her face: her cold, relaxed demeanor spoke of someone who was willing to go to any length to protect her students. Truth be told, she reminded him of a mother wolf defending her pups from a predatory. **"And what can you do, darlin'?"** he questioned guardedly, not wanting to provoke her.

"Kurenai-sensei here is a psion," interjected Naruto quickly, sensing some latent tension beginning to build between the two of them, "and a pretty powerful one at that. She can create incredibly convincing illusions that feel so real that her opponent's bodies actually feel pain if it's inflicted in her mirages."

**"Really?"** wondered Logan aloud, prompting a curt nod of confirmation from Naruto. **"And how'd you find out that Naruto?"**

"She used her abilities on us when she tested us to see how we'd work as a team," Sasuke answered coolly, cutting off Naruto who was trying to think of a way to break that information to his father in a less blunt matter at that point. Now that the cat was out of the bag however, Naruto could see his father's expression begin to harden in disguised indignation at the thought of him in peril, causing him face-palm in annoyance at the situation Sasuke'd just put Kurenai in. His father wasn't trying to play nice with Kurenai now. Just the very mention of someone who was supposed to protect him intentionally harming him was enough to set Logan on edge.

_'Oh boy,'_ sighed the blonde regrettably._ 'This ain't gonna be pretty.'_

**"Is that so?"** questioned Wolverine sarcastically, his eyebrows narrowing at Kurenai and paternal rage staining his voice with malice as he spoke.** "Naruto, could you and your friends give me and your sensei a moment here? I'd like to talk to her fer a sec about our teaching methods."**

"Sure, no problem Dad," agreed Naruto swiftly and compliantly, herding both Sasuke and Sakura out of earshot of their possibly heated conversation with considerable haste. When Sasuke attempted to protest, Naruto promptly clapped a hand over his mouth and motioned for him to shut-the-hell-up. "Trust me teme, that's one talk you don't want any part of. Believe me."

* * *

Once Naruto and company were far enough away from them, Logan turned his attention back to Kurenai, who met his cold, steely gaze with a calm, reserved stare of her own. Both of them took their time before they spoke, wordlessly sizing one another up and readying their arsenal of comebacks for their little discussion. After what seemed like an eternity of deafening silence, the gruff X-Man finally spoke up. **"Alright lady,"** he snarled in annoyance as he looked her straight in the eye. **"I can understand trying to test their abilities and all, but let's get somethin' straight here and now. You had no right to use your powers on my son, or even his friends, simply to prove a point like you did. Now, I'll just say this right off the bat, I don't trust you as far as I could throw you."**

"Trust me Howlett-san," glared Kurenai venomously at the man's blunt rudeness, feeling rightly insulted, "the feeling is mutual."

Now that sort of surprised Logan. Sure, he'd been in relationships with stubborn women in the past, but it was still something he'd never really get used to about all women in general. Although his thoughts were a bit addled by her viper-like comeback, his expression remained unchanged. He'd learned long ago that sometimes your emotions were best to be kept under wraps, especially around shinobi. **"In any case,"** he continued steadfastly, **"knowing that my son is going to be learning from you, I'd like to lay down a few ground rules. First off, no more brain-jacking **_**whatsoever.**_** That goes fer the other two as well. I don't care if they're being disobedient or whatever, it's just not the right thing to do. This also applies to keeping tabs on Naruto when he's not training. What he does outside of your teaching is his business, not yours."**

"I can agree with those terms," nodded Kurenai respectfully, knowing in her mind that something like that was something unspeakable for her to even think of doing. "You are right, forcing them into something against their will is wrong and I would never willingly do that to any of them." Even if she was supposed to be their teacher first, she still knew there was a fine line between willing obedience and mind-rape. And that was a line she'd sworn never to cross, since the day she finally managed to master her powers onward. If she was to receive any respect from her students, it would be through her own teaching skills and not induced by her powers.

**"Good,"** replied the X-Man contentedly, his tense mood lightening ever so slightly at this news. **"Next issue, I don't want them facing any extreme shinobi threats."**

"Excuse me?" questioned the Jounin in shocked disbelief. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "Why would they be prohibited from fulfilling their duty to our village? They are old enough to decide for themselves if they're capable of taking on any threat that they face, no matter what the danger, and I don't see why they should be given special treatment just because they're mutants!"

**"Listen Kurenai,"** Logan reasoned in mild irritation, trying hard to reign in his famous hair-trigger temper as he spoke. **"The fact of the matter is, these kids **_**are**_** special. They're different from everyone else and giving them too much face-time this early on in their training as X-Men will spark a lotta animosity, especially as far as the rest of the village's non-shinobi population is concerned. The reality of it is, people always fear what's different than them. That being said, I honestly don't think-"**

"Well, I'm sorry Logan-san," Kurenai snapped in genuine anger, cutting off Wolverine abruptly, "but animosity or not, these children _are_ going to serve this village any way they can, and if that means facing shinobi that are more powerful or skilled than they are, then so be it. They won't see any special treatment simply because you are letting your responsibilities as a parent cloud your judgment! All three of them have and feel an obligation to protect this village and its inhabitants, regardless of how they are treated by others for doing so." By this time, an enraged snarl had manifested itself on Wolverine's tense visage and his dark eyes had become like two boiling pits of malice as he glared at Kurenai for insulting him so brazenly.

**"Lady...,"** began the X-Man angrily, furrowing his eyebrows as his voice became somewhat of a low, animalistic growl.

"Try as you might to intimidate me Logan-san, I'm not afraid of you," rebutted the Jounin confidently, looking the growling Wolverine straight in the eye unflinchingly as she spoke to him. "I don't care what you can do or what you've done in the past; you're reputation means nothing to me at all." After saying this, Kurenai's deadly-serious expression seemed to visibly soften slightly, causing Logan to forget his angry for a moment, curious as to her abrupt change in emotion. "Look," she continued more calmly this time, "I know that you care deeply for your son, but the fact of the matter is, he's my responsibility as well, just as Sasuke and Sakura are. I can't promise you that I won't keep any of them from facing opponents that I deem are more than they can deal with, but I will promise that I will do in my power to watch over them and keep them safe. But, I won't hold them back if I feel they are able to handle things by themselves. Can we at least agree on that for now?"

**"... Fair enough,"** grumbled Logan, reluctantly agreeing to Kurenai's reasonable terms. Although he wouldn't admit it aloud, Kurenai was something else indeed. There were very few people out there who were gutsy enough to risk life-and-limb by standing up to him like that, and it was sort of refreshing to see that sort of unshakeable confidence in his son's new sensei. Perhaps there was more to her than he'd first thought.

"Good," smiled Kurenai, happy that they had both managed to reach a mutual agreement on the subject of Idenshi-X's training and her handling of them as a team. Needless to say, she was rather intrigued by Logan's reactions to her proposals and objections. He seemed to always try and keep his emotions in check and not allow himself to fly off the handle in anger. Maybe he wasn't the rage driven beast that all the veteran Jounin spoke of in terrified tones when recalling his bloody escapades in the last Great Shinobi War. "Well, now that we've finally sorted that out, I think you may have cut your son out of the conversation to argue with me. What do you say we get back to him?"

**"Of course,"** Logan agreed calmly, his thoughts returning to speaking with his son as his holographic form floated silently over to the spot where Naruto and his friends had moved to, Kurenai quietly following a few feet behind him.

* * *

While Kurenai and Logan had been preoccupied with wrapping up their argument, Naruto and company stood off to the side, well out of earshot of what the blonde was sure to be one seriously heated conversation. He of all people knew how apprehensive his father was when it came to his safety, and just how angry he became whenever he felt that he was threatened. "Man, I hope Dad isn't being too hard on Kurenai-sensei," he thought aloud as he cast a fleeing glace over at the two arguing adults, before turning his gaze back to the person who'd initially instigated their little spat, Sasuke. "Damn it teme, why the heck did you have to go and tell him that?! I would've found a way to break it to him _without_ making him angry at her like that!"

"Why are you talking to me like this is my fault?!" retorted the dark-haired Uchiha in annoyance, a vein manifesting itself above his left temple.

"Because it is your fault, dumb-ass!" rebutted Naruto truthfully. "If you hadn't told him about her test, then he wouldn't be over there about to rip our sensei's head off!"

"Hey, he wanted to know you knew about her mutation and I told him," answered Sasuke spitefully. "It's not my fault your Dad's got issues!" Now,_ that_ stuck a raw nerve with Naruto. No sooner had those words left the Uchiha heir's lips than the air around Naruto's hands began to snap and pop in protest as one by one his plasma claws flickered into existence, the heat surrounding them steadily rising as his anger rose with it.

"Hold it right there you two!" remarked Sakura firmly, quickly stepping in-between the two rivals just as Sasuke was about to trigger his Sharingan. Seeing as she was in their line of fire, and rightly upset by their anger with one another, both Naruto and Sasuke let go of their growing hostility and powered down. "Look, I don't care whose fault it is alright? What's done is done and there's no need for the two of you to fight over who started this, okay?"

"... You're right Sakura," admitted Naruto reluctantly, realizing that his temper had gotten the better of him once more. "Sorry about that Sasuke," he apologized half-heartedly to the Uchiha heir, though part of him was still angry with the dark-haired boy.

"Hmph, whatever," scoffed Sasuke nonchalantly in response, not seeing why he had to apologize for Naruto's idiocy. If they had been anywhere else but here, Naruto probably would've responded to his too-cool attitude by trying to gut him like a hooked fish. But his anger quickly subsided as he spotted Kurenai and his father's hologram approaching the three of them, apparently having finished their conversation.

**"Okay son,"** the X-Man said reassuringly as he sidled up next to him. **"Parent-Teacher conferences are over."**

"So, what'd you two talk about Dad?" Naruto asked curiously, mentally breathing a sigh of relief at seeing his father leagues calmer than he had been a few moments ago, his own anger with Sasuke swiftly forgotten.

**"Just like I told you, teaching methods,"** Logan replied firmly, the stern look in his eyes quietly telling Naruto to drop the subject for now. **"That's all there was to it."**

_'Yeah right,'_ scoffed Sasuke in the back of his mind as he eyed the floating head skeptically. _'If looks could kill, Kurenai-sensei would already be dead ten times over by now.'_

"Fair enough," Naruto nodded compliantly, getting the hidden message behind his father's steely expression. "So, Dad, when am I going to see you again? It's just that... it's been so long since I left for the village, and I can't wait to show you everything I've learned here."

**"I understand son, really,"** Logan acknowledged, his eyes suddenly clouding with paternal regret from what he was about to tell him, **"and I can't wait for you to show me. However, that's one of the reasons why I called. I hate to say it, but I've got good news and bad news as far as a visit is concerned."**

"Okay then," the young X-Man said in solemn understanding, a sense of unease coming over him. "You'd probably better give me the bad news first."

**"Alright,"** Wolverine agreed coolly. **"The bad news is, I ain't gonna be coming in for quite a while now. There's a lotta stuff going on stateside that really needs the X-Men's attention, and there've been some rumors going around about renewed mutant activity in Egypt, right around where ole' Grey-Lips' tomb is. With all this goin' on, Chuck wants me to stay with the team for now until we can get everything sorted out."**

"Right, I understand Dad," Naruto replied sincerely, swallowing the sudden urge to gulp audibly at what his father had just said. Simply mention their own private nickname for _that guy _was enough to cause the hackles on the back of Naruto's neck to stand on end in apprehension and paranoia. He knew all too well who his father was talking about, and he did _not_ want to think about what would happen if _**he**_ ever came back again. As much as he wanted to see his father again, he knew that his Dad needed to be where he was. "So, what's the good news then?"

**"Well,"** Logan continued dutifully, a lighter tone in his voice at delivering this part of the message,** "since I ain't gonna be able to drop by any time soon, Chuck thought he'd make it up to you by issuing some of the others a little... 'mandatory vacation-time', if you will."**

"You mean...?" Naruto began excitedly, his previously dour mood now lightened by what his father was saying.

**"Yep, some of the gang'll be dropping by in a few weeks to spend some time off in the village,"** answered Logan with a sly grin, happy to see he'd at least given his son some worthwhile news for once. **"Cyke's been beatin' himself up too much because of what happened to Jean, so Chuck an' Frost decided he could use a vacation to get away from it all. Well, once word got around, a couple of the others wanted to tag along to see how you're makin' out for yourself in Konoha."**

"Alright!!" yelled Naruto joyously at the thought of a visit from his family. While he was busy celebrating, Kurenai and the others were all wondering the same thing: what will they be like? Of course, they'd all heard stories from Naruto about what his family was like and what they could do, but all that would be nothing compared to seeing them in person. As they mulled this over in the back of their curious minds, Naruto turned his attention back to his father's shimmering form. "So, who all's coming, Dad?"

**"Eh, just a couple people besides Cyke,"** shrugged Wolverine nonchalantly as he smiled inwardly at his son's happiness. **"I think Hank said something about wantin' to study the effects of chakra up close, and the Cajun an' Rogue were talkin' about gettin' in some 'alone time' while they were there. But aside from those three, I'm not sure who else is gonna be taggin' along for the ride, 'cept maybe Parker."**

"Peter's coming too?" exclaimed the young X-Man in surprise, seeing as he'd never expected to see the Wall-Crawler around the Elemental Nations.

**"Yeah,"** confirmed Logan calmly, understanding his son's reaction, **"sounded weird to me too. But, Parker said somethin' about J.J. wantin' him to cover some big story brewing in the Elemental Nations by himself, so he decided to call in one of the favors we owe him and hitch a ride to the village."**

"Hmph, figure's Jameson had something to do with it," Naruto rebutted coldly, expressing both of their obviously low opinions on the Bugle's 'illustrious' editor. If it was big news and he could find some way to dramatically deface the public image of metahumans in the process, J. Jonah Jameson would make sure he had the story first. "Still, it'll be nice to see him again, along with everyone else that's coming too."

**"Good, I'm glad to hear that son," **smiled Wolverine complacently for a moment. Then, something seemed to catch the senior X-Man's attention, causing him to quickly snap his head to the left for a moment, narrowing his eyes darkly at the source of the distraction. After a few minutes of silence, Logan let out a disbelieving sigh of annoyance and turned back to address Naruto once more. **"Well, sorry but I gotta sign off fer now. Apparently, Frost and Rachel are havin' another spat over her relationship with Cyke and I gotta help sort things out."**

"Okay Dad, I understand," nodded the flame-haired blonde compliantly, remembering the last time Rachel and Emma got into such an argument. It had taken most of the senior X-Men to calm both of them down enough to resolve the matter, and the rest of the Institute's student body and staff to clean up after them, which took about a week tops. "Tell everyone I miss 'em and I hope to see them soon."

**"Will do son,"** replied Logan cheerfully, his son's smiling face and light-hearted attitude helping to take his mind off his difficult troubles... if only for the moment at least. **"Talk to you later then. Take care."**

"You to Dad, bye"grinned Naruto happily, a miniscule iota of regretful nostalgia in his voice as his father signed off. The exact second Logan hung up on the opposite end of the line, the blue holographic image before them stretched and warped for a fraction of a nanosecond, then abruptly snapped back into place to reconstitute the shimmery, beaming visage of Cerebra. In the brief amount of time it took for the A.I. to reform itself, Naruto was uncharacteristically silent. While he was sincerely happy to have spoken with his father after such a long time and deeply excited to hear that his family would be dropping in for a visit soon, he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of sadness that he wasn't going to be able to make the trip to the village this time around. _'Still,'_ he thought to himself rationally, _'Dad's where he needs to be right now.'_

"Naruto?" questioned Sakura softly breaking him out of his thoughts. Mentally whacking himself for letting his own emotions get the better of him, Naruto silently cast aside his valid disappointment and turned to address his teammates and sensei. "Did your father really mean that?" Sakura probed further. "The X-Men are really coming _here_?" The pink-haired kunoichi emphasized that last word by pointing at the ground, as if to ask if they were truly going to grace the soil of Konoha with their presence.

"That's right Sakura-chan," beamed the young X-Man cheerily, forgetting his disappointment for the moment at the memory of the event. "They really are coming here. Oh man, this is gonna be so great! I can't wait to see everyone again and show them how much we've learned!"

"Speaking of learning," interjected Kurenai poignantly, gently placing her hand on the blonde's shoulder to bring him back to reality, "I do believe you three where in the middle of a training drill when this all started, right? If we're going to show your family how much you've all learned, then we should probably keep training so we can give them a proper demonstration of what the shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato can really do. What do you said?"

"I say let's get to it Kurenai-sensei!" laughed Naruto confidently, looking back to his teammates and Cerebra with a determined and mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Come on you guys, let's get back to work! Cerebra, reset the simulation from where we last left off, and add in a few more Sentinels too. I feel like I could bring down a whole armada of those rust-buckets by myself." The holographic face nodded placidly, slowly vanishing into nothingness as it reset the program and the environment began to change. As the world around the Genin shifted and took on a new appearance, Kurenai quietly stepped out of the silvery room and sat back down next to the observation window in the control booth, watching carefully as the air around her young charges shimmered and twisted until they were once more encompassed by the burning wreckage of downtown New York, Sentinels rocketing towards them from on high.

"Hey, leave some for us to, dobe," remarked Sasuke with good natured sarcasm as he and Sakura got into position around him, all three of them activation their mutations in simultaneous accord. Spiked plasma claws erupted from Naruto's fingertips, a separate maelstrom of beta energy flashed into existence around Sakura's dainty hands, and Sasuke's eyes glowed blood red as he brushed against their arms and his mutated Sharingan copied his teammates' abilities.

**"Target confirmed,"** intoned one of the towering Sentinels coldly, raising its arm to prime its lethal atomizer cannon and swiftly turn the three Genin into smoldering piles of ash in mere seconds. **"Commencing termination."**

"Terminate this Chrome-Dome!" yelled Naruto gleefully as he whipped both arms out wide and flung a tightly focused arc of _**Kami Hanabi**_ at the drones. Each of blazing projectiles hit the first six Sentinels with near pinpoint accuracy, impaling themselves into the sides of their foot-jets and combustion instantaneously. Barely able to keep themselves aloft any longer, half a dozen metal giants fell from the air like stones, their massive robotic frames groaning in deep protest as the struck the unforgiving concrete. The monsters sputtered once, twice, then fell deathly silent, the inhuman glow in their eyes dimming to blackness as they shut down. "Bring it on, light-weights," quipped the flame-haired X-Man tauntingly as he and his two teammates sprang into action once more, picking off the Sentinels one by one. "We can do this all day!"

Safe behind the shielded wall of the control center, Kurenai simply smiled approvingly as she watched her students at work, returning to the task of critiquing their tactics and strategizing new methods for helping improve their control over they're mutant abilities. _'It looks like that talk with his father really boosted Naruto's morale to say the least,'_ mused the crimson-clad Jounin thoughtfully as she reflected on the conversation she'd had with Logan only moments ago. Though the man came off as a brutal veteran of combat with nerves of steel, she could tell he had a soft spot when it came to his son, just as it was for the parents of her other students. _'I guess that's just part of being a parent is all: caring and worrying go hand in hand.'_

* * *

**Well, how about _that _for a plot-twist, True Believers?! Not only are some of the Uncanny X-Men about to pay a visit to Konoha, but the Spectacular Spider-Man is along for the ride as well!! Things sure are heating up for Idenshi-X, so now's not the time to think of tuning out. Stay anchored for... more surprising twists, more mind-blowing action, and more Marvel guest-stars than you could shake a web at! It's all coming up next time, so keep it here and remember to R & R! _Excelsior!_**


	16. 16 A New Beginning

**Merry Christmas one and all, True Believers! I sincerely apologize for making you all wait for so long to read this, but with all that's been going on here recently, I haven't found that much time to write. However, I've finally finished Chapter 16 and the holidays are upon us so I'll have some free time to work on 17 as well. Anyhow, our last meeting with Naruto and Idenshi-X saw the addition of Kurenai Yuuhi to the team's ranks and the upcoming visit from some of Marvel's mightiest heroes! Now as that time draws near, a new challenge awaits our young mutant Genin, one that will push them harder than ever before. What could this be you ask? Well, let's read on and find out...**

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* * *

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**Chapter 16: A New Beginning.**

"That's right everyone," reassured Kurenai calmly as she watched all three of her new students drift off into a firm, meditative trance. "Keep your minds focused. Let go of the world around you and look inward. Doing this can help you maintain better control of not only your powers, but whatever situation you may find yourselves in. Once you have quieted your mind, you can take in everything about your environment and use it to your advantage."

The four members of Idenshi-X were seated in a semi-circle on the front lawn of the Namikaze Estate beneath a tall oak tree, stationed quietly in the lotus position as they closed themselves and their minds to the world around them. A cool morning breeze whisked softly across the clearing, scattering a few stray leaves here and there, while gently caressing their exposed skin as they continued to meditate. Ever since she had become their sensei, Kurenai had made it so that a part of their daily training regiment was a short, half hour session of psychic training, which would help to both strengthen and sharpen their minds. Both Sakura and Naruto were taking to it quite well, while Sasuke was less enthused by the idea.

_"I still don't see how sitting around and being quiet helps us with our training and getting stronger," _grumbled the Uchiha heir discontentedly under his breath, thinking that Kurenai couldn't hear him.

"Not all power comes from how much physical strength you possess or the skills you were born with Sasuke," smirked Kurenai coyly as her student flinched in recognition at being caught. Despite his constant complaining about the uselessness of meditation, Sasuke was skilled at the exercise and had a strong mind that could prove to save his life if he ever came across a genjutsu specialist or high-level psion. Sadly, he was more driven to devoting his time to taijutsu and ninjutsu training than he was conditioning his mind.

Deciding to let the dark-haired Uchiha ponder her words for a time, she turned her mind's eye to Sakura, who- if she'd had her physical eyes open- would have been seen meditating as quietly as herself, a look of deep serenity upon her face. Like Sasuke, she too was fairly new to such deep, trance-like forms of meditation, but she took to it almost immediately, like a fish to water. Even now, as Kurenai observed her mind on the astral plane, Sakura was at a level of concentration so intense that she could be capable of resisting even the most potent of telepathic probes. _'It looks as though I was right about Sakura,'_ mused the crimson kunoichi thoughtfully as she watched the rainbow streams of mental energy flow from her students like water. _'Many people assume that Clan heirs like Sasuke or Neji are born geniuses. But someone like Sakura is a true genius.'_

Having thought that, she turned her psychic gaze to Naruto, who was a bit less together than his teammates at the moment. Ordinarily, he would be at the same state of mind Sakura was, which Kurenai assumed to be a by-product of his training with the X-Men. But in the past two days, he'd begun to seem tense, distant, and excited as all get out, which she chalked up to the up-coming visit of his family. Now granted, she and the others were anxious about seeing them for the first time- having heard so many stories about them- but she could only imagine what Naruto was thinking. _'Still, his excitement shouldn't dictate his actions so loosely, it's not smart,'_ she thought critically as she inspected the psychic defenses he was creating for the exercise, taking note of their make-up and strength with her powers.

As she rounded the fifth barrier, she noticed a small, hair-line crack in the bottom-left corner of the wall. Upon closer inspection, she saw a faint wisp of blood red smoke wafting through the fissure and forming around the top of his defensive barriers. Immediately she sensed a powerful energy emanating from this smoke, something ancient and of an immensely strong mind that dwarfed her own psionic abilities. Curiosity finding root in her thoughts, she subconsciously extended the hand of her astral form and delicately caught a small thread of the smoke-like substance between her fingers, bringing it closer to examine it further. Suddenly, the blood-like smoke seemed to lash out at her, coiling up her arm and constricting her astral form like some bizarre serpent. Her first instinct was to try and pry it loose from her, but the mist responded by striking her with a blast of psionic force, knocking her back into her own mind. Before she could even question what had happened, her physical body doubled over in agony and shock from the encounter, her brain feeling as if it were about to split in two at any second.

Naruto's superhuman hearing caught the muffled _thud_ of a body hitting the soft, grassy earth, and immediately his eyes snapped open, only to see his sensei writhing on the ground in pain with her head clutched between her hands as she curled into a fetal ball defensively. "Kurenai-sensei!!" he shouted in alarm as he bolted upright and rushed to her side, his panicked voice breaking Sakura and Sasuke out of their own meditative trances. Seeing their sensei in great pain, they quickly followed suit and gathered around her.

"What's wrong with her?!" asked Sakura worriedly, grimacing visibly as Kurenai had begun to cry out in anguish and distress. Having had some remedial experience with medicine, Sakura's instincts told her that their sensei was showing signs of a psychotic episode of some kind. But her screams told her that Kurenai was both in pain and genuinely terrified of something, as if she were having some sort of waking nightmare on top of a violent seizure.

"I'm not sure," Naruto replied sincerely over his sensei's screams. Thinking back to his experiences with Jean Grey and any other psions he'd encountered or grown up with, things like this only happened when they were under assault by a psychic probe or something else entirely. In reality, their sensei's episode could've been caused by any number of things. _'Kyuubi, any thoughts about what the hell is goin' on here?'_ he questioned the fox anxiously, hoping he may have some idea of what was happening.

_**'I'm just as clueless as you are Kit,'**_ remarked the fox truthfully.

"Maybe she finally snapped from all this quiet," Sasuke said humorously, attempting to make light of the situation. However, a quick look at Sakura and Naruto told him that now was not the time for cracking wise about what was happening to Kurenai.

"Ahhhrrgghhh!!!" shrieked Kurenai once more, the level of pain going up a notch as she felt like her brain was beginning to liquefy. Had her students been inside her mind at that moment, they would've known all too well the reason for her cries of anguish. In her mind, she was hopelessly trapped in the Astral Plane, surrounded by an infinite void of chilling darkness and locked in her spiritual form. Frighteningly, she was not alone this time as she had been moments again. Crushing her from all sides was what appeared to be the mammoth coils of a gargantuan serpent; its scales tinged a bright shade of purple. As she struggled and thrashed in its steel-like grip to free herself, the great snake let out a mind-numbing _hisss_ that sounded like a mixture of manic laughter and nails on a blackboard.

_**'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!'**_ boomed the giant reptile gleefully as she strained against his grasp in vain to free herself. _**'Your pitiful defiance amuses me, wench. It's been ages since I've tasted a will as strong as yours on the Astral Plane.'**_

_'Urgh!'_ growled Kurenai angrily as she fought against her captor's hold with all she had. _'Who are you, serpent?!' _she shouted accusingly at the beast. _'Why do you attack me like this?!'_

_'Oh come now,'_ a new, silky-smooth voice chimed in soothingly, causing her to jump in surprise. Turning her head towards the speaker, she noticed a tall, gangly figure standing calmly atop the serpent's head, as if he were the creature's puppeteer. _'Such a harsh tongue for one so lovely. Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku.'_

Recognizing the direction of her gaze, the giant snake grinned slyly and lowered its head down to her level, it's cold, reptilian gaze threatening to swallow her whole at any moment and sentence her to oblivion. Tearing herself away from the serpent's piercing red eyes, she snapped her head upwards once more to look upon the creature's rider. For some reason, the figure was cloaked in shadow, outlined from the surrounding darkness only by a thin halo of white psionic energy that clung to his form like a second skin. The stranger's voice was that of a man, but his hair was so long and his body so lanky and trim that Kurenai would've mistaken him for a woman had he not spoken. He was garbed in a sort of tunic that was secured behind him by what looked to be a pretzel-like belt. However, what unnerved Kurenai the most about this stranger was his eyes, which resembled those of his serpentine mount, right down to the slitted irises and burning pupils that resembled the fires of Hell itself.

_'W-who the hell are you?'_ questioned the crimson kunoichi sternly, a small amount of fear in her voice as she spoke.

_'All in good time my dear, all in good time,'_ chuckled the stranger in obvious amusement, daintily brushing a strand of stray hair from his face. _'However, I will tell you this though: things are going to start popping around here very quickly, and by the time I am through, your village will have been reduced to dust beneath my feet. Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-ku.'_

'_Wh-what?!'_ stammered Kurenai in disbelief, shocked now more than ever at the dark figure's words. Whoever he was, this man carried a deep distain for her village, and she could feel it heavily in the air around them, his hatred bearing down on her like a massive weight. If her own psychic abilities weren't as strong as they were, this figure's hatred would've crushed her psyche within seconds of his arrival, rendering her in a vegetative state for the rest of her days.

_'Oh, you'll see what I mean soon enough,'_ teased the shadowy man sadistically, his gigantic serpent mount tightening it's crushing grip on her once more, causing her to cry out in pain as she felt like her bones were _really _starting to break. _'I'll be in touch.'_

Then, just as quickly as her assailants had come, they vanished into the blackness of what had been the Astral Plane without a trace. Only when she was completely sure that they were gone did Kurenai allow herself to collapse into the stillness of her own mind, her thoughts racing a mile a minute as she tried to comprehend what had just happened. Beginning to feel overwhelmed, she remembered her exercise she'd been teaching her students and set herself to the task of focusing her mind on them instead, using that thought as an anchor with which to draw herself back into her corporeal form. Seconds later, it took affect and she ceased screaming, panting heavily as she tried to deal with the splitting headache she'd received from the encounter. As she began to feel her strength returning to her weary limbs, the crimson kunoichi groggily opened her eyes, delighted to see the concerned faces of her students staring down at her.

"Are you okay, Kurenai-sensei?" asked Naruto warily as he offered her his hand, carefully helping her get to her feet. Only seconds ago, she'd been screaming bloody murder, but now she was seemed to be as normal as before, if not a bit confused and extremely tired. He was tempted to ask more about what had happened, but something told him that she didn't really know either and he would be nosy by asking as well.

"I'm fine Naruto, really," lied Kurenai weakly as she steadied herself, her breathing becoming less shallow as she began to recover from her encounter with her assailant. Though she disliked deceiving them like that, she really didn't want them to worry about her too much. Still, this wasn't something she needed to put off until later. The Hokage needed to know what she'd seen.

"What was that Kurenai-sensei?" questioned Sakura in alarm, a panicked tone tainting her voice as she spoke. She'd never seen someone experience that kind of physical and mental trauma before. It was sincerely frightening. So much so that she felt as though it would haunt her for a while now.

"Honestly, I have no idea," answered Kurenai truthfully, her mind still trying to make sense of her encounter. Everything that had just happened was still clearly engraved in her mind's eye, every tiny detail still as visible now as it had been only moments ago. Even now, she could hear the mocking chuckle of the stranger echoing fresh and clear on her still ringing ears, sending icy chills tingling up her spine. Taking a moment to collect herself, she mentally shook off the creeping sensation that slithered along her skin.

"Are you sure you're alright Kurenai-sensei?" asked Naruto in concern, his hesitant attitude now replaced by one of precaution and guarded curiosity. The way she was acting, the blonde could've sworn that she'd been experiencing some sort of psionic trauma from facing an opponent of great strength on the mental plane. But he'd learned long ago that as far as telepaths were concerned, nothing was ever as it seemed. Even during the times he'd mimicked Xavier's telepathic powers, he'd never managed to fully test the limits of what he was capable of.

"Yes, I'm fine Naruto, really," replied an exasperated Kurenai adamantly, the reassuring tone in her voice placating her students for the moment. "I just... need to go collect my thoughts is all. Feel free to take the rest of the day off..." She paused for a moment, and then added with a calm grin, "But don't forget to take the time to practice on your own though. I don't want you three getting sloppy on me, especially with Naruto's family coming tomorrow."

"Sensei, wait!" Sakura called after her as she turned to leave, not wanting to see Kurenai leave in the state she was in. Hearing her worried cry, Kurenai halted her departure for the moment and turned to give the pink-haired girl her attention. "Don't go! Isn't there something we can do to help?"

"I'm sorry Sakura," began the crimson kunoichi sincerely, a warm smile gracing her ruby-red lips. "I appreciate the fact that you are all concerned for me, but there is really nothing you can do about this. I will see you tomorrow." And with that, Kurenai bid them farewell and promptly flickered out of sight in a whirlwind of leaves and dust.

"I sure hope she's alright," said Sakura worriedly after her sensei had gone, Naruto and Sasuke both sharing her concern. "What do you think happened you guys?"

"I'm not sure Sakura," replied Sasuke truthfully, his stern demeanor slipping to reveal a cool, calculating expression of in-depth thought. "If you ask me, she was hiding something. Did you notice how she paused a lot and how she seemed a bit jumpy just before she left? Call me crazy, but it seemed as though she was terrified of something."

"Teme, don't," said Naruto sternly, prompting a surprised stare from both Sakura and Sasuke. True, they all knew he was as concerned for Kurenai's well-being as they were, but something about the seriousness in his voice seemed odd to them. Seeing as they both looked so shocked by his rough command, Naruto relaxed his tensed mind, which in turn relaxed his body as well. Something about Kurenai's "episode" had unnerved him to say the least, but couldn't quite put his finger on what it was for sure. "It's best not to look into this too deep. Certain things about the mind aren't meant to be understood by everyone, some people just can comprehend it. Still...," he paused for minute, quietly looking back in the direction in which Kurenai had departed, the wind brushing coolly through his flame-tipped hair, "I hope she's alright."

**

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**The Hokage's Office, later that night...**

"Hmm," mused Sandaime in silent introspection as he reclined slightly in his leather office chair, steepling his fingers in deep thought. Directly to his left stood Kakashi, with whom he had been speaking with only moments ago before Kurenai had abruptly entered with startling news that she'd said threatened the entire village. Now as she finished regaling them with the explicit details of her vision, both he and Kakashi felt a deep seed of dread begin to take root within them, though they did not allow the crimson kunoichi to see this. There was no need to upset her any further than she already was. "I see," said the Hokage after a moment of deadly silence. "And this has never happened to you before I take it?"

"No Sandaime-sama," nodded Kurenai truthfully as she stood before his desk, feeling the weight of both his and Kakashi's gaze upon her. "This is the first time something like this has happened. I've never been able to see the future like this, my mutant abilities are limited to creating illusions and thing else." After departing the Namikaze Estate, she had immediately gone home to mediate on her vision, trying to make sense of what had happened. However, she soon found that it was too much of a secret to bear and rushed to tell the Hokage, in hopes that he could help her unravel its mysteries and put her mind at ease.

"You mentioned something about a red mist that appeared before your vision," said Kakashi curiously, trying to look at Kurenai's premonition from all angles for a clue as to what brought on this new power of her's. "Do you think that was want caused you to receive this insight on the future?"

"I'm not sure," replied the crimson kunoichi in confusion, her mind still numb from the encounter. "It could be that it boosted my powers when I touched it. But there was something about it that seemed so... ancient. Like it whatever it was had been alive for centuries. Why would something like that be coming from Naruto's mind?" No sooner had those words left her lips than she saw both Kakashi and Sarutobi stiffen visibly, as if what she'd said had startled them.

Sarutobi quickly shot Kakashi a silent look, which apparently the Copy-nin returned. They were both thinking the same thing: could it be that the Kyuubi's chakra had somehow triggered a secondary mutation by making contact with Kurenai's psyche like it did? _'It's possible,'_ thought the aged Hokage guardedly, in case Kurenai was listening telepathically, _'but we can't know for sure. There's still so much about the Bijuu that we have to learn. But, I can't ignore what she's told me, especially when it comes to that figure she saw in her vision. Could it be after all these years, he's finally decided to make his move?'_

"Sandaime-sama?" questioned Kakashi cautiously, every bit as unnerved by the Hokage's silence as Kurenai was. Like Sarutobi, he too recognized the mannerisms and actions of the figure Kurenai described, and it sincerely scared him. If it really was _him_ and he was planning on attacking the village... Ugh, he didn't even want to think about it. That man was practically evil incarnate. Even now, memories of that man came flooding back to him, making him want to grimace and shiver in both disgust and fear, yet he kept his emotions in line.

"Um, yes," answered Sarutobi abruptly, thinking it best to hold off his thoughts until a later time. What mattered now was preparing his people for what lay ahead. "Well, we'll have to keep this in mind as we proceed with the upcoming events as planned."

"Sandaime-sama," Kurenai exclaimed in surprise, "are you sure it is wise to go through with them?"

"Yes Kurenai, I'm positive it is," replied Sarutobi in earnest sincerity. "Seeing as whoever you saw in your vision plans on attacking us in the near future, these events will be the perfect opportunity for him to infiltrate the village. It's the perfect bait to lure him out so that we may determine his true identity and take the right precautions to protect the village. That, and most of the other shinobi villages have begun to send their selected prospects to Konohagakure for a chance to participate. We cannot simply turn them away, lest we gain their animosity along with that of our mystery foe."

"I understand, Sandaime-same," agreed the crimson kunoichi honestly, though she still held a shred of concern when she thought about her students being part of all this chaos.

"Well," began the Hokage lightly, deciding it was best to switch to a less depressing subject, "now that that is taken care of, we should discuss the issue of your students' participation. I trust you've made your decision Kurenai."

"Yes, I have," Kurenai answered calmly, the thoughts of how hard both of her squads had been training as of late filling her with pride for their efforts. "I've decided that Squad-8 is to take part in the upcoming trials. All three of them have grown a lot since I became their teacher, and I think they've earned their place in this test and will endure."

"And, that's why I feel that Team-7 should take part in this endeavor as well," added Kakashi nonchalantly, his response causing the others to start for a moment, as he had been quiet for a time.

Upon hearing his request, Sarutobi looked up at the Copy-nin questionably, wondering what had prompted this. Then it occurred to him and he smiled at the thought, remembering a young, sable-haired boy who used to complain every time he was forced to pick up the slack of his own teammates, wondering what had ever happened to that kid. _'Heh, heh, looks like you've grownup some since then,'_ chuckled the Hokage knowingly, nodding his head at the Jounin approvingly.

However, this sudden inclusion of Idenshi-X in the upcoming crisis as well startled Kurenai deeply. Though she would admit that they had all improved greatly under her training and supervision, a small part of her worried that they still weren't ready to attempt these trials so soon in their careers as shinobi. Having faced this before, she knew all too well what awaited them if they were allowed to compete, and that frightened her. "Kakashi-sempai!" she exclaimed in disbelief, eyeing the silver-haired Jounin questionably. "You can't be serious about this! Besides, they aren't under your supervision any more, but mine."

"Even if that was the case Kurenai, I _am_ serious about this," interjected the Copy-nin calmly. "And even though you act as the leader of Idenshi-X, I'm still their leader as far as Squad-7 is concerned. Therefore, I still have some supervision over them, even though they now function on two different roles for the good of the village."

"Forgive me sempai, but I simply will not allow you to enter them this early in their training," protested the crimson kunoichi further, her resolve staying steadfast as before. "They just aren't ready for that kind of pressure."

"Kurenai," sighed Kakashi, "look at it this way: you're willing to show Kiba, Hinata, and Shino that you have enough faith in their abilities that you'd enter them this early in their own training, aren't you being unfair by not allowing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to receive the same benefit of the doubt? Besides..." He stopped for a moment, looking her straight in the eye as he spoke. "When you've had the experience of being led to believe you're participating in a C-Rank mission, only to find yourself fighting for your life against two bloodthirsty nuke-nin on what could easily be an A-Rank mission, and you all make it out alive _and _defeat your enemies, then I think you'd see they're ready for this. Plus, before they were ours, they were mine, and still are in a sense."

Kakashi's words quickly reminding her that they had indeed proven themselves before in the past, Kurenai fell silent, any other protests she had dying in her throat. He was right, they had earned the right to be a part of this, just as Hinata and the others had. And here she had chewed out Logan only days ago for letting his personal attachments to Naruto hold him and his team back, when she was no better than him at the moment. "You're right Kakashi-sempai," she sighed in defeat, though some small part of her knew that she needed to let them grow up some time. "They have just as much a right to partake in these tests as any of the others."

"I'm glad the both of you agree," smiled Sarutobi pleasantly, happy to see that the argument hadn't gotten out of hand. True, Kurenai had every right to be protective of her team as she had been, but Kakashi still had the final say, as the three of them were still a part of his squad. That squabble finally settled, the aged Hokage reclined in his chair slightly, puffing a minute plume of smoke from his pipe as he set about returning to the matters at hand. "Well, now that we are all in agreement that your squads will be participating in the events, all that we need to do is to get their consent on the matter." Receiving a curt, yet understanding from the two Jounin, he pulled open one of the drawers of his desk, wordlessly produced a set of six consent forms, and promptly handed them to the pair. "I expect you will inform your respective charges of the situation and return these forms to as soon as possible."

"Hai, Sandaime-sama," agreed Kurenai, bowing respectfully as she received the three forms meant for her team. Beside her, Kakashi did the same, quickly folding the sheets lengthwise and sealing them away within the pages of his novella, as a way to remind him of his pressing task _and_ save his place in the book as well. Upon seeing the orange book, both Kurenai and Sarutobi gave the Copy-nin a dour look that seemed to say 'pathetic'. Sensing their gaze, Kakashi quickly pocketed his book and grinned at them sheepishly from beneath his mask, his face turning a bright shade of red as he did so.

"Right then," chuckled the Hokage jovially at Kakashi's predicament, before regaining his usual, relaxed composure. "The two of you are dismissed for time being. I wish you and your squads, both shared and separate, the best of luck. Have a pleasant evening."

"Thank you, Sandaime-sama," bowed the two Jounin graciously. Their audience with the aged Hokage finished, both Kakashi and Kurenai turned and headed towards the two great _fusuma_ doors. As she walked beside the man she had looked up to since her days at the Academy, the crimson kunoichi couldn't help but feel a little tense considering their argument a few moments ago. Like or not, they both had a responsibility to Naruto and his friends as leaders, and sometimes they wouldn't always see eye to eye on some things.

_'I just hope you're doing the right thing by letting them go through with this Kakashi,'_ Kurenai thought silently as one of the Chunin present promptly opened the doors and moved out of her's and Kakashi's way. As they went their separate ways, she remembered all that she had heard from Naruto and his friends about their escapades in the Land of Waves, and she had to admit they had done well. Still, they wouldn't have Kakashi or the Punisher to back them up this time; it was a whole other ball-game. _'You were right about their experience as far as that mission was concerned, but this is a completely different matter entirely. It's going to take everything they've got to just survive what lies ahead.'_

**

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**

**The following morning, at an old bridge in the Shopping District...**

"(yawn) Man, where the hell is he?!" complained Naruto in annoyance as he reclined against one of the beams of the bridge, resting precariously on the railing as he and his friends awaited Kakashi's arrival.

Early that morning, all three of them had been awoken by a rapid series of knocks at their respective doors, each belonging to a different courier-nin who came bearing a message from one Hatake, Kakashi. Apparently, he wished to meet them at this bridge around 11:00 am that morning to speak to them something of the utmost importance. Naturally, they knew he would be late and took their time getting there. Naruto had taken the most time of the three, making sure everything was ready for his family's arrival to 2:00pm that afternoon. Now, as it began to turn 1:20 pm, the flame-haired mutant sighed hopelessly for what seemed like the million-th time as he spun one of his plasma claws lazily between the fingers of his left hand, tracing neon arcs through the air.

"The hell if I know dobe," glowered Sasuke in irritation, growing tired of the blonde's incessant complaining on top of Kakashi's absence. "He always does this, so just chill and wait it out." Like Naruto, he had grown used to the fact that the Copy-nin had a bad habit for showing up extremely late for everything under the sun, but it still annoyed him to no end. He was stationed directly behind his whiskered companion, leaning coolly against the wooden pillar that Naruto was resting his head on as well. Gazing out from under his jet-black follicles, which hung over his face like palm fronds as he inclined his head slightly, the Uchiha heir kept his eyes peeled for any sight of movement around them. He was determined not to let the Jounin sneak up on him again.

"We know that Sasuke," said Sakura poignantly from her seated position at her crush's feet, turning one of the pages of the medical book she'd brought along as she spoke. "But, it still wouldn't kill him to show up on time for a change." As short-tempered as she was knowledgeable, Sakura had been the only one of them to get completely fed-up with Kakashi's habitual tardiness. Still, she knew how to control her anger, and held back when she felt it was necessary. However, as she took a moment to check on her teammates, she could tell from the look on his face that Naruto was genuinely frustrated by all of this. But, she could hardly blame him. It was only natural that he was anxious about meeting his family, and Kakashi's little appointment had the potential for messing with that plan. Truth be told though, she was looking forward to it as much as he was!

"I see that I've kept you all waiting for too long again," sighed the Copy-nin from his perch on the wooden beam high above their heads, giving them quite the start as his arrival on the scene had gone completely unnoticed. Sasuke silently cursed himself for not thinking about keeping watch over the top of the bridge as well, allowing Kakashi to get the drop on them. However, it couldn't be helped now, so he shifted onto his feet and abandoned his inclined position against the beam. Behind him, Naruto willed his blade to dissipate and eagerly leapt off the railing, practically itching for Kakashi to get on with whatever he called them for. As the boy's abandoned their relaxed postures, Sakura decided to do the same, dog-earing her place and shutting the book as she got to her feet.

"Damn sensei, do I need to get you a pager or something?" asked Naruto impatiently as Kakashi leapt down from the top of the bridge to be at his student's level. His family would be landing in about two hours, so every moment he spent dawdling with Kakashi was only increasing the probability that he'd miss welcoming them to the village. "(sigh) Okay, what's so important that you'd call us down here and then take your sweet time showing up to actually tell us?"

"Patience Naruto, patience," said Kakashi reassuringly as he ruffled the boy's spiky, blonde locks, earning a playful scowl from the X-Man. "I'll try not to keep you too long. You'll still be able to get home before your family touches down, believe me on that one."

"So, what's up Kakashi-sensei?" wondered Sakura curiously, intrigued as to the reason why he'd called them there in the first place. If it had been a new mission, he'd have summoned them to the Hokage's office for a full briefing on the matter. But, seeing as he'd told them to meet here at the bridge, she assumed it wasn't as urgent, yet still important all the same.

"Well, for starters, I was feeling nostalgic the other day and decided to check up on you and see how you three were faring under Kurenai's training," said the silver-haired Jounin cordially, attempting to put their minds at ease so he could try and slide into the news of what lay ahead subtly. However, the looks on their faces told him that they hadn't bought a syllable of it; he and Kurenai had taught them too well for that. Sighing audibly to himself, he reached into his tactical-rig vest and produced the three forms that Sarutobi had lent him the preceding evening, handing one to each of them. "That, and I thought you might be interested in this."

The three Genin silently read over the consent forms they had just been handed, their excitement growing as the realization of what they held became fixed in their minds. True, they knew there was more to being a shinobi than their current level, but they had never dreamt that they'd have a chance to move up this early in their career. After a moment of silence, it was Sakura who finally spoke. "Are these for real?!" she probed critically; though an obvious trace of hopeful enthusiasm could be heard lingering in her voice. "I mean, for _really_, real?!"

"One hundred and ten percent, I assure you," grinned Kakashi cheerfully beneath his face-mask. "I've selected all three of you to participate in this year's Chunin Exams. These are a set of incredibly rigorous tests that will gauge your character, stamina, and will, to see if you have what it takes to become a Chunin." He stopped himself for a moment, allowing this monumental news to settle in, all the while noticing the pleasantly surprised looks fixed upon his student's faces. However, he was then reminded of Kurenai's vision of the danger that awaited the village, but shook it off. If he expected them to be the best they could be he needed to take his own advice and have some faith in them. Still... "Now remember, these are purely optional. If you choose not to take them, then that's your decision. And if not, then go to Room 301 of the Administrations Building at 3:00 pm five days from now."

"... Okay, hold up," Naruto interjected flippantly, drawing the attention of the others for the moment. "You pulled me away from getting ready for my family for something like this?" Upon hearing this, Sasuke had finally had enough of the blonde's attitude and strode towards him with fiery indignation flowing through his veins.

"You know what dobe?" growled the Uchiha angrily, tightening his grip on the form in his hand so much that it crumpled. "That's it! I'm sick and tired of your damn X-Men mentality! Since the moment we agreed to be a part of this little "team" of yours, you've stopped caring about anything that has to do with us or the village! Everything you've said about wanting to be a ninja and change our village for the better has all been a hypocritical farce! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised to find out you never cared about the village or being a shinobi in the first place. Why don't you just go back to New York?!"

"You're questioning my loyalty to the village Sasuke?!" shouted the blonde wrathfully, igniting his plasma claws subconsciously out of anger and glaring at the Uchiha. "Everything I've told you and Sakura, I've meant 110%! I've never done anything to lead either of you to believe I'd ever be disloyal to Konoha, yet just 'cause I get excited about seeing my family again, you decide I don't care about all that! You have no right to bash me or my family!" As the anger mounted between them, Sakura could tell that this was going to be bad. Suddenly, as if to reinforce that sentiment, she felt a massive rush of power and snapped her head in Sasuke's direction just in time to see him activate his mutated Sharingan, his eyes glowing blood red with a lust for battle.

_'No, not here! I can't let them do this!' _she thought in a panic as she called up a portion of the area's ambient beta-energy and enveloped it around her hands. She knew she could stop them if need be, but she wanted to try and diffuse the situation before it got out of hand, without hurting them if possible. However, before she could even move to get in-between them, both Naruto and Sasuke launched themselves at one another, each intent on beating the other to a bloody pulp. Alarmed at this sight, Sakura started to race towards her comrades to stop them, when all of a sudden she felt a rush of wind blow past her and saw Kakashi successfully pin the both of them in under a second. Naruto was sprawled out on his stomach underneath the Copy-nin's foot that rested in the center of his back, while he held Sasuke by his collar one-handed, his left resting on the hitai-ite that hung over his eye, just in case.

"Alright, calm down, _both_ of you!" snapped the Jounin sternly, his serious tone jarring the two boys out of their pointless fit of rage. "The two of you are acting like children! Letting yourselves get so worked up over such a frivolous argument instead of one deciding to act your age and diffuse it calmly. It's absurd!" His one visible eye darting back and forth between the two Genin, he could see that what he'd said had actually sunk in for a change. Cautiously, he lowered Sasuke to the ground, keeping his grip tight on the boy's collar all the while, and slightly lessened the weight he'd been asserting on Naruto's back. "Sasuke!" he barked sternly, narrowing his gaze at the dark-haired boy. "You had no right to call Naruto out like you did. Contrary to popular opinion among your peers, you're only human in a sense of the word, and have no grounds with which to judge him because of who he is."

_"Heh, got that right,"_ grumbled Naruto under his breath indignantly, only to feel the weight of Kakashi's sandaled feet press even harder into the middle of is back. "ACK!"

"And you, Naruto," sighed the Copy-nin in exasperation, twisting his foot a couple of times as he spoke to ensure his point was understood. "You have every right to be excited about seeing your family, I can sympathize with that much. But that still doesn't mean you should be disrespectful like that. The Chunin Exams are a highly anticipated right of passage for Genin all over the Elemental Nations, and only a select few are picked to participate each year. They're a chance for each village to gain a deeper appreciation for one another's culture and prowess in battle." Having said his piece, Kakashi released them and took a step backwards, regarding them in the manner one would a pair of squabbling toddlers who'd just calmed down. "That being said, can we please start acting like adults now? I know you two better than this to allow such bickering."

Sasuke and Naruto stared hard at each other for a moment, giving what Kakashi'd said some hard though. He was right after all, they had snapped at one another for no reason at all, fighting over the stupidest of things as if they were in preschool or something. And after they'd been through so much together and had become a real team, was all of this fighting and rivalry really all that necessary in the end? Finally, it was Naruto who reacted first. "You're right Kakashi-sensei," he admitted sincerely, nervously scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I should've thought about how you guys felt before acting all high and mighty like that. These Exams are really important to the team, and the village too, so I shouldn't have let my anticipation get in the way like that." Then, wordlessly, he offered Sasuke his hand as a gesture of goodwill. "And I'm sorry for almost pulverizing you Sasuke," he apologized earnestly. "We still friends?"

Sasuke looked at the blonde's hand quietly for a moment, still half-convinced that it'd sprout those deadly claws again and rip his arms off. Then he remembered that Naruto had already proven that he was a loyal friend a dozen times over, even if he had a hair-trigger temper at times. All of his life, he'd kept to himself and locked everyone else out. Maybe it was time to forget all that for a moment or two at times, and let someone in for a change. "Hmph," smirked the Uchiha heir nonchalantly, accepting the blonde's hand and shaking it meaningfully, "sure thing, dobe. Friends."

"There we go," grinned a satisfied Kakashi beneath his mask. Beside him, Sakura breathed a sincere sigh of relief and allowed the energy around her hands to silently dissipate, happy to see they'd calmed down and made up. Sometimes it was hard being the only girl on the team, seeing as she had the most level head at times. In the back of her mind, she made a mental note to try and throttle Naruto for this later, but for now walked over to the two of them as Kakashi picked up from where he'd left off about the Chunin Exams.

"Now that we've got all of this settled, I need to know if you're positive about taking part in the exams," continued the Jounin calmly, but with a more serious undertone this time. "While it is a great honor to be selected for these tests, the Chunin Exams are far more dangerous than anything you've faced so far. In fact, several Genin from nearly every shinobi village participating loose their lives each year, trying to advance and become Chunin. While taking the Exams, you'll be completely at the mercy of the proctors who will oversee them, and they'll be watching all of you to weed out the weak from those who are strong enough to advance. You also won't have the luxury of having me along for the ride like in the Land of Waves, leaving you on your own and open to make your own decisions. Not to say that this won't make it even harder on you, as those other chosen Genin won't show any mercy and you may find yourself in a position where it will be life and death." This last statement made him glance over at Naruto for a moment, still unsure about how his moral stance against killing his opponents would hold out in the ruthlessness of the Exams. "Remember, this is purely optional, and there is no shame in bowing out if you're afraid or if you feel you aren't ready. There's always next year."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura quietly allowed what Kakashi had said to sink in for a moment, looking at the forms in their hands one moment, and each other the next. If they accepted this, they'd have a shot at becoming Chunin and making a difference in the village, showing them just what they could do as the next generation. Then again, there was a chance that they could be killed in the process, their efforts all for naught. It was true that they had faced something no one their age would've ever dreamt of in their fights with Zabuza and Haku, but they mostly got through it because Kakashi and the Punisher where there as back up. Were they ready for something this big? After a moment, the turned to one another and gave a slight nod of agreement. They had made their decision.

"We're in," Naruto replied confidently, meeting the silver-haired Jounin's eye as he spoke. "All three of us. The Land of Waves may have been tough, but it taught us something: we can take on any one as long as we work together."

"That's right," agreed Sakura enthusiastically, tightening one of her fists before her face as a sign of determination. "We're not gonna back down just because it looks like it'll be too tough. You and Kurenai-sense taught us to never give up, and that's exactly why we're gonna do this."

"Besides," smirked Sasuke coolly, the same determined look on his face. "Why should we let everyone else have all the fun?" Secretly, he was looking forward to all of this. With so many shinobi taking part in these Exams, it was a good opportunity to see if all of his training with his mutation would pay off._ 'Who knows, maybe one of these other Genin will actually be a challenge. This is gonna be fun.'_

"Alright then, I guess you're minds have been made up then," smiled Kakashi proudly, glad to see them so confident in themselves for a change, especially Sakura. They had been through a lot over the past month, whether it was their battles in the Land of Waves, the formation of Idenshi-X, or even their training with Kurenai. However, throughout all of these trials, they only seemed to grow stronger as a result, not only as individuals, but as teammates and equals. They were going to need those strengths if they hoped to survive the rigors of the Chunin Exams. "Now, take these forms home and fill them out thoroughly, then have them ready for me to hand in by tomorrow morning. Other than that, all I can do is wish you the best of luck, and-" Kakashi paused abruptly, appearing to be lost in thought for a moment, then looked up at the blazing sun and back at the three of them with a impish look on his face. "Well, would you look at that? If I'm not mistaken, shouldn't Naruto's family be arriving any moment now? You three'd better get going if you want to make it back to the Namikaze Estates in time."

"Oh crap, he's right!" exclaimed Naruto in sudden realization, palming his forehead in aggravation at his own forgetfulness. He'd been so caught up in the moment that he'd almost forgotten to check the time. Fumbling with the inner pocket of his jacket, he clumsily retrieved his cyber-shades and put them on, shocked to see that it was already 1:45pm! They'd need to sprint hard if they were going to make it back home before them. Without hesitation, he quickly grabbed hold of both Sasuke and Sakura's arms and ran off towards his house at break-neck-speeds, a cloud of dust rising up behind them as his flustered teammates were dragged along helplessly. "Sorry sensei, gotta run!" he shouted as they shrank from sight. "Thanks for the forms we'll bring 'em back later!"

"Ha-ha-ha, alright Naruto," laughed the Copy-nin jovially at the blonde's unorthodox attitude, waving goodbye as he watched them go. "See you tomorrow." With that, he turned and walked back towards the restaurant district for a hot lunch and some quiet reading at his favorite cafe. As he strolled towards the end of the old bridge, he thought about all he'd told them concerning the Exams, wondering if they were truly ready for this and curious as to how the presence of Naruto's family would affect the blonde's performance. _'Well, one thing's for sure,'_ mused the silver-haired man thoughtfully as he left the bridge behind and headed into the busy streets. _'This year is sure to be interesting to say the least.'_

**

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**Oh boy, True Believers! Sounds like things are going to get a little tense here soon. Not only are the X-Men and everyone's favorite Wall-Crawler about to touchdown, but there seems to be something sinister brewing behind the scenes as the Chunin Exams draw near. What is this new danger? How is Kurenai able to sense it? And who in the name of Steve Ditko is that man in her visions? All this and more will be revealed soon enough, so stay tuned. Remember to R&R, and have a very Merry Christmas! **_**EXCELSIOR!**_


	17. 17 East meets West

**Greetings once again True Believers! My sincerest apologies for the long delay with this chapter, but communication between myself and my beta-reader/editor have been somewhat strained over then past few weeks and I haven't been able to churn this out as quickly as I had hoped. There was also a lot going on with my last few weeks for my Senior year of high school too, so I had even more stuff getting in my way! However, I'm now back and ready to try and do as much as I can to bring more to this story before I start college in the fall. So, enough jawing, let's get to the real reason that you came here: the latest chapter in the adventures of Idenshi-X! And boy, is it a doozy! Naruto and company are about to get a few surprise guests in time for the Chunin Exams, but how will Sasuke and Sakura take to meeting some of Naruto's family? Well, why the heck are you askin' me? Read on to find out...**

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**Chapter 17: East meets West.**

"ACK! Naruto, slow down already!" shrieked Sakura indignantly as her teammate continued to drag both her and Sasuke through the crowded streets of Konohagakure's bustling shopping district at break-neck speeds, a twinging pain in her arm growing as he continued to sprint forward. "We'd move a lot faster if you'd let us run on our own for Kami's sake! You're gonna pull our arms out at this rate as it is, baka!" The sense behind her words finally sinking in, Naruto swiftly released both her and Sasuke from his now iron-like grip, allowing them to catch up with him at their own pace.

"Sorry 'bout that Sakura," apologized Naruto deeply in-between breathes as he kept on running towards the general direction of the Namikaze Estate, swiftly darting this way and that through the throngs of shoppers and pedestrians that wandered the miles of shops and stores that lined the district. "I just knew you guys wanted to meet my family and we were gonna be late if we didn't hurry."

As they neared the center of the shopping plaza, they noticed that the crowds were much thicker up ahead, and it would eat up a huge amount of their already shrinking window of time. Thinking quickly, Naruto took a brief glance upwards at the rooftops and signaled silently to his teammates, who both nodded in recognition of his plan. Concentrating a steady stream of chakra into the soles of his feet, the flame-haired mutant skidded to a stop, coiled his legs under him and then launched himself into the air, landing gracefully on the roof of a nearby kiosk only to leap once more to the top of the building it had come to rest before. Upon reaching the apex of his jump, Naruto landed on the balls of his feet in a perfect, cat-like crouch. Seconds later, he was off and running again, Sasuke and Sakura not to far behind as they caught up to him. As they proceeded to bound over the rooftops of the village, their destination began to come into view and Naruto's hope of beating his family home was renewed. There was no sign of the X-Jet in the front lawn at all.

_'Alright!'_ thought Naruto triumphantly as they came closer and closer to the sprawling mansion estate. _'They aren't there yet. We're gonna make it!'_

"Hey, dobe," said Sasuke abruptly, causing the blonde to direct his attention back to him for a moment. "Who all from the X-Men are coming again? Besides the guy you called "Cyclops" I mean?" Hearing him ask this also got Sakura interested too. She had wondered what the X-Men would be like for the past couple of days and, now that they were finally going to meet them, she found it hard to contain her excitement.

"Yeah, Naruto," she interjected curiously, an edgy hint of enthusiasm in her voice, "and what are they like? Are they nice? Do they look human like you do?"

Her answer came in the form of Naruto's trademark foxy grin, his eyes glistening with mischief as they neared their destination. "You'll just have to wait and see," he smirked knowingly, his eyebrows waggling somewhat mockingly as he spoke. Before either of them could ask their flame-haired teammate anything more, they found themselves nearing the last rooftop and beyond it, the front gate to the Namikaze Estate. With one last burst of energy, they leapt to the final rooftop and jumped over the side of the building, nimbly landing on the stone windowsills that dotted its face on the way down to slow their descent. The second their feet hit the ground, all three of them rushed across the vacant avenue to the security terminal at the front gate and paused for a moment, waiting anxiously as Naruto punched in this password on the keypad. With the shrill _creak_ of the huge metal gates opening, the three Genin dashed eagerly through the gothic archway and up the cobblestone walkway, the front doors only a few yards away.

As they neared the wooden doors, both Sasuke and Sakura wondered what meeting Naruto's family would really be like. Of course, they had listened to and believed every bit of the stories that Naruto had told them about his family's exploits, but seeing them in reality was something far more monumental. In her mind, Sakura was imagining them as something similar to what she'd heard about the Sannin of legend, great heroes of mythical proportions and powers beyond comprehension. She poured over the mental list she had put together of questions she'd wanted to ask them. Sasuke on the other hand, was more curious about how strong they where, and what they could teach him that he could use to better himself. From what he'd heard from Naruto, they were powerful fighters who had years of experience and wisdom to offer. Perhaps he could learn a thing or two from them.

While Sasuke and Sakura mulled over their thoughts, Naruto mounted the stone steps that led to the front door, pausing for a moment to breathe a sigh of relief as he rested his hand against the wooden frame. "(pant) Heh, heh, we made it," exclaimed the blonde triumphantly as his teammates caught up with him. Once they had all three managed to catch their breath, Naruto took hold of the doorknob and started to open the door, a satisfactory grin on his face as he did so. "Now, all we gotta do is be ready for them when they get he-ACK!"

Sadly, Naruto never got to finish his sentence, because the second the door was fully opened, two multicolored blurs tackled him and they went tumbling onto the fresh grass of the front lawn. Surprised at first, Sakura quickly realized that they had been ambushed and readied herself to help Naruto. Just as she was about to call up her beta-energy orbs, Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder to gently restrain her.

"You might want to rethink that," he advised her with a grin, pointing towards Naruto, who had been pinned to the ground and appeared to be crying for help. However, upon taking a second glance, Sakura realized that Naruto wasn't crying out in pain. He was laughing uncontrollably. Rightly confused by this behavior, she walked closer to get a better look and saw that Naruto's assailant was sitting on his stomach as her fingers mercilessly tickled him in every sensitive spot on his upper body. It was then that she realized who the attacker was.

The woman looked to be in her mid-twenties, her long brown hair hung unbound around her beautifully sculpted face, and her green eyes were twinkling as she laughed at Naruto's reaction. She wore a pair Nike sneakers, a navy blue jacket with the symbol of the Yoshimuri (Tokyo) Giants emblazoned in gold on the back and a pair of tight, faded-blue jeans that showed off her feminine curves. However, what gave away her identity was the gunmetal gray wristwatch she wore, which bore a red "X" over the face of the timepiece. The second figure amazed Sakura even more the appearance of the woman. Incredible as it was, she was looking at a small, bonefied dragon, pink no less! The little creature was no bigger than an average housecat, and sat on top of Naruto's chest as it proceeded to lick his face happily, a shrill chirp escaping its beak.

"Okay, what the heck's going on?!" exclaimed Sakura in exasperation, the sound of her voice causing the woman to stop tickling Naruto and stare at her in confusion. The dragon also ceased licking the blonde's face as the boy began to catch his breath, cocking 's head to stare at her for a moment before flapping its wings as it circled around the woman and landed comfortably on her shoulder as though it were a parrot. However, the dragon's flight didn't deter Sakura from her demands as she turned to Naruto for answers, pointing at the woman as she spoke. "Naruto, who is she?"

"Sakura, I'd like you to meet Shadowcat," panted Naruto with a jovial chuckle, still gasping for air after being attacked as he gestured towards the woman, who gave them a cheery smile. There was a slight difference in his voice as he introduced her, a sort of familiarity and affection that identified them as family. Having finally caught his breath, he turned his attention to the little beast perched on her shoulder. "And this is-"

"Lockheed," interjected the dragon in a native New Yorker accent, quickly cutting off Naruto and earning a few blinks of surprise from Sakura and Sasuke. As if suddenly knowing that dragons actually existed wasn't enough, now they knew that they could _talk _too? Still, Lockheed didn't really seem to take much notice of their confusion. "Nice ta meet 'cha."

"Ah-Ha!" cried Naruto triumphantly, a huge grin plastering itself on his face as he pointed at the dragon. "I knew I'd finally get to see you talk!" Naturally, the three X-Men got a good laugh out of that, with Naruto groping for his sides where they still ached from the tickling that Shadowcat had subjected him to. Sasuke and Sakura just looked at each other in confusion, unsure of what was going on. Sure, they knew that Naruto was a goofball, but it was times like this where they failed to see the humor in what he'd just said. After they'd managed to get a hold of themselves, both Naruto and Shadowcat got to their feet and approached his befuddled teammates.

"Please, call me Kitty," insisted Shadowcat warmly after Naruto introduced them as she shook their hands. "Believe me, it's a lot easier to remember than Shadowcat, and everyone calls me that anyway. I'm one of Naruto's sisters." Now, _that_ came as a shock to them. Immediately, Sasuke and Sakura began to look back and forth between Naruto and Kitty, trying to find any similarities between them that would identify them as being related. However, they were two completely different people.

"Seriously?" queried Sasuke skeptically, still eyeing Kitty in disbelief. Everything about this girl screamed "American", so how in the world could the two of them be even remotely related having come from two completely different continents?

"Actually, that's only half true, I guess," admitted Naruto with a mischievous grin as he massaged the back of his next, Kitty snickering playfully as Lockheed curled his tail around one of her fingers, a smirk of his own plastered on his beak. "When Dad adopted me, Kitty agreed to be one of my foster sisters along with a couple of the other girls in the X-Men. Still-," he turned and gave Kitty a sincere smile,"- a guy can dream, can't he?"

"Aw, thanks 'Whiskers'," Kitty blushed delightedly as she gave her friend a quick hug, referring to him by his nickname for added effect. That being said, she then grabbed him by the hand and gestured towards the open front door with a sly grin of her own. "Well, come on guys! Everyone's already inside waiting for you!" Turning to beam at one another excitedly, all three Genin nodded simultaneously and raced after her. With her and Lockheed leading the way, they sped through the foyer towards one of the adjoining corridors. Having gone through this way before, Naruto knew instinctively that they were headed for the entertainment room, seeing as he'd usually go there to would unwind from a hard day's training by plopping heavily onto one of the large couches and firing up a video-game and an anime DVD. However, today the room held something far better than anything on those shelves could ever offer. As soon as they entered the room, Naruto's face lit up instantly as he saw how many of his family had come to visit him. He wanted to run to them and embrace them as if they had been apart for more than just a year. Instead, just as Sasuke, Sakura and Kitty crossed the room's threshold, they were welcomed by a slight _whoosh_ and the sight of Naruto being hoisted high into the air.

Embracing the flame-haired mutant in a spine-snapping bear-hug was another woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties as well... and she was _hovering_ above their heads as she held Naruto in her arms, a slight gurgling sound coming from his gritted teeth as his eyes widened and threatened to pop out of his head at any moment. The woman was beautiful to say the least, and had long, auburn hair that ran down to the base of her spine, contrasted by a dramatic, white streak that rose from the peak of her forehead. As she miraculously floated above them, both Sasuke and Sakura noticed that she wore a pair of denim jeans, a black t-shirt, dark brown gloves, a long flowing trenchcoat that covered her arms, and a pair of jet-black combat boots. Like Kitty, she also wore a wristwatch as well, signifying her allegiance with the X-Men.

"Oh, sugah," cried the woman lovingly as she nuzzled her cheek against Naruto's, a thick Southern accent resonating in her voice as she spoke. Heartwarming as the embrace was, Kitty caught a glimpse of a single teardrop as it streamed out the side of the woman's eye. Smiling to herself, she remembered how much her friend had missed having Naruto around the Institute. Saying goodbye to someone that was the closest thing she'd had to a little brother had been the hardest thing for the woman to do, and now they were together again. "You wouldn't believe how much ah missed you!"

"Gee, thanks Rogue," Naruto managed to say in exasperation, a weak smile sprouting on his face even as his eyes practically bugging out of his head. "I missed you too." In response, he felt the Southern Belle's grip begin to tighten, the sound of slowly cracking ribs reaching his ears as they began to painfully submit to the superhuman force in her muscles. "Uh, Rogue?" he squeaked in a high-pitched voice as she proceeded to squeeze him even tighter, multi-colored spots appearing behind his eyes as he slowly began to black-out. "Marie... you're... crushing me!"

"Oh!" exclaimed Rogue in realization of what she was doing, lessening her hug on Naruto enough so that he could breath normally again. "Sorry sugah, 'guess ah don't know mah own strength any mo'." Even though he was gasping for breath, Naruto still managed to wheeze out a good-natured laugh at such an obvious joke in-between coughs, praying that Kyuubi's healing factor would fix anything that was broken. However, Sasuke and Sakura's attention had shifted from the reuniting X-Men, to the room's other occupants. Needless to say, they were both rightly speechless at what they saw. Gathered around the room were some of the strangest people they had ever seen in their lives. One would think that after hearing Naruto's stories about his family would've prepared them for such a meeting, but _this _was far beyond anything they'd ever expected.

"Oh, that's right," Naruto remembered as he and Rogue touched down, working out the kinks in his arms by rotating them slightly. Upon landing and cracking his neck once, he gestured to the girl and began making introductions. "Sasuke, Sakura, this is one of my other 'sisters', Rogue."

"The pleasure's all mahn," said Marie sincerely as she took both their hands and shook them firmly, surprising the Genin with how strong she was. Remembering their manners, both Genin said hello and gave her a quick bow to be respectful. However, they found themselves drawn back to the others in the room, still intrigued by their presence.

The first person they're eyes settled on was a tall, muscular man leaning against one of the tall, oak bookcases that lined the far wall of the entertainment room. To Sasuke and Sakura, Zabuza had been pretty tall, but this man was practically a giant! He must have been at least 6 feet tall or more, and his arms were practically as thick as logs! His size notwithstanding, the man was surprisingly quiet, only glancing up from the sketchpad he'd been silently leafing through to cast a pleasant smile in their direction before going back to the drawings in his hands. Like the rest of the X-Men present, he wore a gunmetal-gray wristwatch inscribed with the team's insignia and was dressed for the vacation that awaited him. He wore a black leather jacket over a white muscle shirt, a pair of denim jeans, a set of dog-tags around his neck that glistened sharply in the dim light, and a pair of red and white Air Jordan's.

A soft mumble drew their attention to the next occupant in the room, who was apparently situated directly above their heads! Shifting their gaze upwards, Sasuke and Sakura could only gawk in disbelief as they took in the sight of a blue-furred man sitting upside-down on the ceiling, the claws of his right foot planted deep within the rafters to support him as he stared right back at them with a look of scientific curiosity on his face. From his head to his toes he was covered in a thick coat of navy blue fur, even his hair was blue! Odd as that was, he had the face and muzzle of a lion, the pupils of his golden eyes slit like a cat's behind a pair of reading-glasses as he poured over a leather-bound book in one of his hands, the claws on his fingers allowing him to turn the pages deftly. As he had an eye for detail, Sasuke noticed offhand that the title read _The Romance of the Three Kingdoms_, which he knew from experience was penned by a number of Chinese authors. For his attire, the man had chosen a cliché Hawaiian-print, button-up shirt, a pair of khaki shorts, and two tan sandals that he held by the loops between the index and middle fingers of his left hand as he read with his right.

"Looks like you guys have noticed the rest of our little family," chuckled Naruto humorously at his friend's reactions to the two. However, he remembered a second later that not everyone was there, thanks to the trouble brewing in the Middle East, mentally smacking himself upside the head for forgetting. "At least, the ones that came along that is."

"It is a pleasure to meet you at last, _comrades_ Sasuke and Sakura," said the tall man warmly in a husky Russian accent, carefully setting the sketchpad in his hands aside and striding over to greet them. When he finally stopped in front of them, both Genin were amazed at how much taller he looked now than he did when he was standing by the bookcase! Seeing the shocked look in their eyes, the large man smiled reassuringly and held out one of his oversized hands. "Don't worry, I'm used to people staring."

"Oh!" exclaimed Sakura with a start, embarrassed with herself for staring, and immediately shook the man's hand. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare, honest." As she held the large man's hand in her own, she was amazed by how gentle his touch was for someone so large. She'd half expected him to have a grip like Rogue's!

"Like I said, is okay," replied the Russian with a smile, switching hands to Sasuke, who relaxed a bit after seeing how friendly the man was. "I'm glad to make your acquaintances."

"Likewise, um...?" began the Uchiha heir warily, not quite remembering the man's name from Naruto's stories of their escapades.

"You may call me, Colossus," replied Piotr Rasputin, recognizing a spark of realization in their eyes at the mention of his codename. Obviously, Naruto had been telling them about his adventures with them, and thankfully had left out his civilian name. As much as Piotr cared about his friends in the X-Men, he still had to think about his parents and little sister, Illyana, back in Siberia. "You will vorgive me iv I'm not as open as Shadowcat, but-"

"It's okay Colossus, we understand," Sasuke said sincerely, his eyes speaking the truth of his words. He knew that the X-Men wouldn't all be as open as Kitty had been, and was willing to accept that.

"My, my, such an astute young man," said the furred reader from the ceiling, releasing his grip on the oak to back-flip nimbly onto the back of the couch before Sasuke, his weight barely shifting the furniture an inch. The man looked Sasuke over for a moment, and then turned his gaze to Naruto, a playful look in his eyes. "This doesn't sound like the 'brooding _teme_' you talked about in your calls Naruto." Needless to say, that earned Naruto a seething glare from the Uchiha, one that said _"Naruto, you told them what now!?"_.

_"Yeah, nice to see you to Bea-_GAK!" grumbled the blonde in annoyance before being pulled into a firm headlock by the man's furred arm, roaring with laughter as his cranium was assaulted by a well-placed noogie.

"I should hope so, you little troublemaker, you!" laughed Beast jovially as he released Naruto from his iron-like grasp. His fun having past, he extended a hand to the black-haired boy welcomingly. "Doctor Henry McCoy, at your service," greeted the man warmly, not bothering to give his codename instead, seeing as he'd left his old life open to the public after his brief stint with the Avengers. "However, if you prefer codenames instead, you may call me, 'Beast'."

"The pleasure's all mine, Dr. McCoy," said Sasuke with an earnest smile as he shook the man's hand. "I am Uchiha, Sasuke."

"Good to know you Sasuke-san," replied Beast, inclining his head slightly to show his respect to the boy. He remembered Logan's briefing before they'd left, and thought it proper that he recognize the young Uchiha for his proud heritage. Having shaken his hand, the furred genius turned his attention to Sakura, who had been watching his interaction with Sasuke silently. "There's no need to be shy Miss Haruno," said Hank with a chuckle as she jumped at the sudden attention. "I've heard a lot about you already."

"Y-y-You have?" Sakura stammered in surprise as she stepped forward to take the blue man's hand, surprised at how soft his fur felt against her skin. It was so warm to the touch, and it felt almost like down.

"Of course my dear," Beast said reassuringly, glancing over his shoulder at Naruto with an impish twinkle in his eye. "After all, Naruto could hardly contain the excitement he felt when he told us he'd found someone like him here in Konohagakure. It was all I could do to quiet him down when he called!"

Again, Naruto felt a slight amount of killer intent radiating from Sakura as Hank told her about his embarrassingly over-enthusiastic reaction to his discovery of their powers. Sure, he'd been excited at the time, but who wouldn't be?! He had just found out that his teammates were just like him! "Well," he said with a wary tone, careful with his wording in case it provoked her into doing something rash, "I'll admit that I got a little carried away, but that was only because-"

"Can you blame 'em, _ma petite?"_ queried a suave, debonair voice from behind the pink-haired girl, causing her to jump in alarm and drawing the attention of the others. "What _home_ wouldn't get all e'cited ov'r a pretty lil' thang like you?"

As she turned around, Sakura found herself staring up at the most handsome adult she'd ever laid eyes on! His face was like that of a model's, his medium length, chestnut brown hair falling loose over the mask that covered the back of his head, yet left his face completely exposed. His eyes were as black as ebony, save for his pupils, which were a bright shade of crimson and seemed to glow as she stared at them. Like the others, he had opted for a more civilian attire, garbed in a pair of hiking boots, a tan trenchcoat, a pair of denim jeans, a black shirt with a red "X" emblazoned in a circle over his heart, and a pair of fingerless gloves. Beneath the seemingly harmless garb, one could tell there was a physical build to rival that of a shinobi, lean muscles coiled and ready for action.

'_Who the heck is this guy?'_ wondered Sasuke silently as he stared at the newcomer in a hushed awe. He hadn't felt anything from this man, not even the slightest amount of chakra! Before he could ponder the matter any further, the man did something that sparked a seed of something that felt an awful lot like jealousy in the Uchiha's heart. He reached into his coat… and produced a single red rose from one of its inner pockets, then placed it gingerly in Sakura's open hands, tenderly closing her fingers around the stem.

"Remy LeBeau, at your service, _ma petite,"_ said the man as he took a step back and dipped his head low with a dramatic bow, his Cajun accent adding to his overall flair. "Though when I'm workin', mos' folks call me Gambit."

Now, a couple of things happened after the Cajun had finished his over-the-top entrance. First off, Sasuke's right eye began to twitch ever so slightly, even as a vein popped into view on his forehead. Second, the resounding _krik!_ of cracking knuckles could be heard as Rogue prepared to pound her favorite swamp-rat into a pulp for his womanizing ways. And thirdly, Naruto started slowly edging behind one of the nearby couches, sensing that if Rogue didn't make things ugly, Sakura would indefinitely. His jaw still ached from the last time he'd asked the pink-haired kunoichi out on a date, the fat-lip that followed serving as a painful reminder of the encounter and Sakura's feelings to anyone _but_ Sasuke as far as dating went. In fact, if he was inside her mind at the moment, his ears would've been burnt to a crisp at the sheer intensity of swearing Inner-Sakura was spouting in response to the Cajun's bravado. However, what happened next came as a shock to the blonde.

"Um, thanks Remy-san," said Sakura calmly, taking a step towards Gambit as she spoke, a small bead of sweat on her brow barely visible as she swallowed her embarrassment and growing impulse to smack the saucy grin on his face. Then, without the slightest hint of malicious intent, she took the rose he had given her and placed it securely in the front pocket of his trenchcoat. "But, I'm kinda already spoken for and... I actually like _younger _guys, truth be told." Emphasizing her point with a firm pat on the pocket she'd placed the rose, she then smiled innocently at the thief and walked back to where the rest of them stood, her surprising display of self-control amazing both Naruto and Sasuke, who had half-expected her to go postal on Remy. Seconds later, that same surprise turned to raucous outbursts of laughter as Naruto, Kitty, and Rogue mocked the Cajun playfully.

"Damn, Remy-neesan," Naruto managed to say inbetween chuckles and attempts at breathing. "Need some ice for that burn?"

"Yeah," snickered Kitty coyly as she nudged the blonde in the arm. "Too bad Bobby's not around for that little bit, huh?" On that not, Naruto couldn't help but give his 'sister' props and give the girl a well-met high-five.

"Ha-ha-ha, laugh all you want _home_," replied Gambit with a good-natured grin. Once the trio had quit their stentorian guffaws, he strode calmly over to the flame-haired Genin and bumped fists with his 'younger brother', who smiled like a Cheshire cat at seeing him once again. Feeling a bit nostalgic at the sight, the Ragin' Cajun couldn't help but stoop to ruffle the boy's hair playfully, having missed teasing him in his absence. "Jus' rememb'a, I could'a stayed in New Or'leans."

"An' miss out on a vacation?" questioned Rogue in mock disbelief as she sauntered over to her man and wrapped her arms around his shoulders lovingly. "Get real, 'Swamp-Rat'. 'Sides, you know how much ah've been waitin' for some down-tahme so we can do some... _relaxin'_. Upon saying that, a playful, teasing look came to the Southern Belle's eyes, her immensely strong fingers daintily tracing circles along the Cajun's chest as she taunted him.

"Ah know that _chere_," admitted Gambit with a smirk, leaning down to give her a quick peck on the cheek as he wrapped an arm around her waist comfortably, prompting a slight squeal from his _amore_. "An' let me be da firs' ta say, I'm lookin' forward ta that lil' part'a the trip."

"Yeah, yeah, save it for after hours, lovebirds," joked Naruto with a sly wink in Remy's direction, to which the Cajun responded with a slight, yet understanding nod. No matter how wild things got between him and Rogue, and it _did_ get wild, Remy always tried to downplay their more aggressive displays of affection around his little brother. No sense in scarring the poor kid for life after all. As Remy pondered this for a moment, Marie noticed that Naruto had begun looking around the room intently, as if he were waiting for something to happen.

"What's the matter, sugah?" Rogue asked curiously, a slight hint of motherly concern in her voice as she watched the boy she considered her younger brother in such an anxious state.

"I'm just wondering when Cyclops' gonna show up is all," admitted the flame-haired Genin honestly as he turned his attention back to the others around him. "Dad said that Xavier-Oij-Sama told him to take this vacation for his own good, right? You know, to get a chance to unwind after everything that's happened with Jean and all?"

Upon mentioning the late Mrs. Grey, the mood in the room dropped for a moment, and for good reason. Jean had been there for them since the beginning, seen them grow up and become the heroes they were now. Seeing her leave with the Phoenix Force like that, claiming it was for the best, had really done a number on all of them, especially Scott. She was his one-and-only, a kindred spirit. This trip was to help him try and let go of some of the emotions he'd been keeping bottled up inside him, and maybe those bottled up within everyone else too.

"Don't worry about him, kiddo," said a calm voice to their right, startling the group noticeably. "He's just checking things out with Cerebra right now in the backyard, but he'll be in soon, give or take." Sasuke and Sakura both visibly jumped at the sound and snapped their heads in the direction of the voice, still a bit apprehensive in the knowledge that this day of surprises was far from over. However, a welcomed grin that appeared on the faces around them gave the two cause for relaxation of their own, as this newcomer was undoubtedly one of their number.

With a strong gust of wind and the distinct scent of down, the newest arrival flew into the room... literally, through an open window near the back. To Sakura, if Gambit was a model in appearance, then this man was... an angel! He was handsome to a fault, sandy blonde hair sweeping back over his head as his light blue eyes sparked lively. He was dressed in more formal attire than the others, wearing a pair of grey slacks, black wingtip shoes, and a white business shirt with gilded cufflinks on either sleeve. Like Rogue, Sasuk and Sakura could clearly see that his abilities included the power of flight, but the way he achieved this phenomena was far more visible than her's. Sticking out through a pair of neatly cut slits in his shirt, linked to his shoulder blades, as a pair of large, majestic wings, their white shade nearly blinding in the lighting of the room.

"Always one for the dramatics, eh Warren?" said Naruto in feigned exasperation, grinning up at the winged man with a similar glimmer in his cerulean eyes.

"What can I say, kid?" shrugged Warren nonchalantly as he circled over their heads lazily. "First impressions are everyth-ACK!" Sadly, the awe of the moment was ruined as Warren had become too distracted by his conversation with Naruto to notice the wall looming before him until he ran into it head first, causing him to fall into a crumpled, feathery heap on one of the couches in the room. Slowly sitting up, the winged mutant did his best to shake himself from his self-inflicted daze. The stars finally passing from his eyes, he gazed up and the group of fellow mutants around him and, aware that he'd screwed up his entrance, did the next best thing he could think of to try and save face. "Um... ta-da?"

Naturally, everyone in the room, even Sasuke, burst out laughing at this. Sure, Warren's failed landing was hilarious, but his failed attempt to make it look good was what really stole the moment and had Naruto rolling on the floor with laughter with laughter. Finally gaining enough control of himself to breathe properly, Naruto propped himself up against the couch next to Warren and gestured towards the man with a foxy grin.

"Guys," said the blonde to his friends in between gasps for breath, "meet Warren Worthington III. Original X-Man and original fly-boy."

"Pleasure's all mine," remarked Warren sincerely with his award winning smile as he shook Sasuke and Sakura's hands enthusiastically. As he shook the winged mutant's hand, Sasuke couldn't help but notice that firmness of the gesture, as if he had done this many times before. The man had a professional aire about him that the Uchiha couldn't really place. "However," began Warren casually as Sasuke was slightly lost in thought, "if you prefer, I also answer to my codename: Angel."

"He also went by Archangel for a while too, but that's another story for another time," added Naruto helpfully as he got to his feet, hoping Warren wouldn't be too upset with him sharing that knowledge. Warren didn't really like to remember his days as the Horseman of Death, but if he was truly going to enjoy this vacation, Naruto knew he needed to learn to let things go and enjoy himself for once. "Now," he said in mock criticism as he surveyed all who were present. "Warren makes six, and Cyclops is outside... so where's the eighth member of this little tourist cavalcade?"

"Oh, nowhere in particular," said a voice from the entrance to room, prompting everyone to turn in that direction. "Just hangin' around." However, they were a fraction of a second too slow, and barely registered the slightly audible _thump_ of a man-sized object hitting the ground. Everyone else immediately recognized this 'new face', but Sasuke and Sakura, still trying to keep everyone's names and codenames right, were puzzled by the appearance of this person who, in light of those who had come before him, looked... well, normal.

"Peter, my man!" exclaimed an elated Naruto as he weaved through the others to greet his old pal. "What's happening buddy?!" As he approached his friend, Sasuke and Sakura were still intrigued by his appearance. The man looked as though he was the a few years older than Kitty, and had eyes and hair of a chestnut brown with a gaze that seemed to see the beauty in all around him. Like Shadowcat, he had chosen a more casual attire for this vacation. He was dressed in a brown leather jacket, blue denim jeans, a pair of black tennis shoes, and a black undershirt with a high-powered camera hanging by a strap about his neck.

"Not much Naruto," said Peter with a smile as he and the aforementioned blonde bumped fists. "Just looking forward to a month's long vacation. You won't believe how long I've been waiting for an assignment from Jonah that doesn't involve me chasing after some supervillain or something."

"I hear that Pete, ol' J.J.'s a real slave driver, huh?" agreed Naruto with a grin, turning to introduce the reporter to his friends. "Guys, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. Sasuke, Sakura, this is Peter Parker. He's a photographer for a newspaper in New York City called "the Daily Bugle", but my family and I know him better as Sp-!" Suddenly, before Naruto could even utter the following word, both Peter and Beast's hands shot out and covered his mouth to silence him.

"What did he say?" asked Sakura curiously as she watched the two Americans try and restrain a protesting Naruto.

"Nothing!" said Peter quickly, a slight bead of sweat forming on his brow as he knew this was a lie, but felt the truth was best kept for another time. Some things were best left unsaid, especially in a village populated by ninja. "Nothing at all. He was just about to tell you guys the X-Men's nickname for me, which is pretty embarrassing to tell the truth."

"Yep that's right," interjected Hank, tactfully playing along with Peter's little cover-up, knowing the reasoning behind his wanting to keep the true 'nickname' a secret. Turning to Naruto, Beast put on a jokingly scolding demeanor so to set things back to the task at hand. "Remember Naruto, you promised never to call him that after he and Mary Jane got married, right?" Silently, he added, _"Icksnay on the Ider-Manspay!"_

Nodding slightly, to show he understood, Naruto took in a deep breath as his uncle and best friend let go of him, careful to spit out the few stray blue hairs that had stuck to his lips. As he did so, he took a look at Sasuke and Sakura to see if they were at all suspicious of what all had happened, kicking himself for what he'd almost said. Pete was one of his best friends, someone he'd shared countless adventures with. He should've remembered that he had some secrets that weren't really open for discussion with total strangers, especially ninja. Still, it looked as if no harm was done. Sakura seemed to have believed Peter and Beast's cover-up and simply dismissed it. However, he could tell that Sasuke still wasn't buying it.

_'First he shows up out of nowhere and acts like he just walked in the room, and now he and Beast keep Naruto from sharing something as trivial as an old nickname with us,'_ thought the Uchiha heir carefully to himself as he sized up Peter, blockading his doubt with the training he'd picked up from Kurenai in case one of them possessed a mind-reading ability like her or the Yamanaka Clan did. _'Something's up with this guy, but what? I just may have to keep an eye on you, Peter Parker.'_

"Well," said Naruto abruptly, drawing Sasuke out of his thoughts like he had hoped as he folded his hands behind his head and faced the group, his eyes looking behind them at the open window to the backyard outside. "Not that it hasn't been fun seeing you guys like this, but there's just one more person here that I need to see, someone who I think needs to lighten up a bit if he's really going to listen to Xavier-Oij-Sama and enjoy this vacation." As soon as he said this, all of the X-Men present gave him a look that spoke of mixed emotions, mainly one that reminded Sakura of her parents when they were about to advise her not to do something.

"Sugah, Cyclops jus' needs 'is space rahght now," reasoned Rogue in a motherly tone, her eyes seemingly pleading with Naruto to rethink what she knew he was about to do. "Think about it for a second, would you wanna be barged in on when you'd deliberately gone somewhere ta be alone?"

"Done," responded Naruto with an impish smirk as he teleported away with a barely audible _bamf!_ and a cloud of black, sulfurous smoke.

**

* * *

**

Outside in the backyard of the Namikaze Estate, the ever vigilante Scott Summers quietly surveyed the lush, green space as he leaned against a towering oak tree, the shade further veiling his critical gaze that was hidden behind his glistening gold visor. Dressed in a short-sleeved blue t-shirt, khaki jeans, brown boots, and sporting the X-Men's signature signal watch, Cyclops looked like a typical tourist as he rested in the shade, the soft breeze brushing against his brown locks. Amidst so much serene nature and artistic beauty one would think his soul would be at ease and his troubles a million miles away. However, there was no such luck of him, not for Cyclops. This time, and for what seemed like the last time, _she_ was gone. She'd slipped through his fingers yet again, and no amount of vacation-time and relaxation would cure that.

_'Why?'_ he thought to himself morosely as he closed his eyes and attempted to hold back the tears at the pain of her memory. _'Why did you have to leave us again? We could've stopped it. We could've found a way to keep this from happening... but why?' _All of a sudden, as it seemed he couldn't sink any lower, a strange and familiar scent wafted along the breeze, causing him to snap his eyes open in disbelief. It smelled like fresh cherry blossoms in the spring... and something else, something that wasn't of this Earth. _'... Jeanie?'_

_**Bamf!**_

"Look out below!!!" came a familiar voice from overhead, snapping Cyclops to his senses and giving him only a second's warning before being tackled to the ground hard by the very person he had come there to off his 'uncle' and onto the soft grass that he'd just knocked them both to, Naruto flashed Scott his usual foxy grin and looked at him with an innocent (yet mischievous) gleam in his eyes."So, you miss me or what?"

"Not as much as I missed doin' this, you little nut!" exclaimed Scott with hearty laugh as he pulled the flame-haired boy into a headlock rivaling that of Beast's and proceeded to give him the biggest noogie of his life. Laughing as Naruto wailed in mock agony at this, even though he was happy to see the formerly broody mutant was back to some semblance of his old self, Cyclops couldn't help but think his own problems inconsequential for the time being. Something about Naruto always did that to him, made him forget about his worries and focus more on his responsibilities as the boy's foster uncle. He had this air about him that made everyone want to believe in him, to believe that things would be better in the long run.

Distracted by these thoughts, he barely had time to register Naruto's escape from his arms as the blonde fell back laughing. After the both of them had finally gotten a hold of themselves to breathe properly, Naruto sat up and shook the grass from his hair, smiling jovially as he saw that his ploy to snap Scott out of the funk he'd been in had worked. True, he was as bummed as Cyclops was about what had happened with his aunt Jean, but he knew that dwelling on the past for too long was more harmful than anything else. "So, you ready to come back inside Scott?" he asked inquisitively, cocking his head to one side as he did so. "Everyone's waiting and my friends really want to meet you, especially Sasuke."

Giving the flame-haired mutant a warm grin, Scott nodded and conceded to his request, taking the boy's hand as he pulled the both of them to their feet with a swift jerk. As they turned towards the Estate and headed out at a comfortable pace, a slight grumbling sound caught their attention, drawing Cyclops eyes to his rumbling stomach. "Heh," chuckled Scott in amusement as he gave Naruto a sideways glance. "Don't suppose you know any good restaurants around here? I mean, Piotr is a good cook and so's Kitty, but I'm kinda in the mood for something... different."

"Hmmm," thought Naruto in mock perplexion as he tapped his index finger against his chin, a smirk forming on his lips. "You know Uncle Scott? I may have just the place."

* * *

**Well, we all know where he's talking, don't we? Now, just because I've been out of the game for a while, doesn't mean I've lost my touch. So keep it right here, True Believers. Next up will be a tour of Konohagakure for our visting X-Men, as well as the appearance of the much anticipated Sand Siblings! Thrills, chills, twists, turns, and more superpowers than you could shake a web at are all just around the corner, so stay tuned, and remember to R&R as you see fit (please be gentle though). Also, on a side note for all my fans in the Oklahoma area (or near there), I'll be attending this year's _Tokyo in Tulsa (TnT)_, so if you want to meet with me and share your opinion of AgendaX (or any other works of mine), I'd be more than happy to talk with you. Just look for someone dressed as Sven Vollfied from _Black Cat_ wearing an ID badge with my penname on it. Well, I hope to see you there and until next time, _EXCELCIOR!_**


	18. Author's Note

**Author's Note.**

By Erik Howlett.

Disclaimer: The following properties and titles used for this fanfiction is the sole properties of its creators/publishers/producers. I do not claim any of these characters or elements as my own, and am only writing this story as a leisurely past time and because I am a humble fan of all of these universes simply telling a story.

**. . . . . . . . . . . .**

**Author's Note.**

Hey gang, sorry for the delay on my updates and what not, but… Wait a sec, why am I apologizing? Everyone here knows what goes on inbetween my updates and what life's like for a college kid trying earn a degree while holding up a job in this Hell-hole of an economy of ours, and attempting to get his own ideas published while still trying to find time to update his stories in the wake of lacking inspiration while having upwards a million plotlines running through his head due to the curse of an overactive imagination. So everyone's up to speed on what I've been up to in the mean time, right? And everyone understands that I have my own life to work on while finding to time to write for both here and trying to write the script for my own manga and trying to get said manga published, right?

Good, now we're on the same page.

Anyhow, back to the business at hand. I have a lot of ideas that I haven't published yet, and that amounts to a lot of first chapters that allude to excellent ideas that I rarely find time to update or even post for that matter. Also, I find trouble maintaining a steady flow of inspiration for some of these. For example, as of late, I have lost any and practically all inspiration for my stories based in the Naruto fandom. It's not that I don't want to keep writing these stories, no far from it! I still love reading Naruto and look forward to each chapter released. It's just that, for some reason, I can't find the inspiration, or interest, to write on any them right now.

Still, I feel like I should at least give some of these their day in the sun so they can be seen and hopefully serve as inspiration for others in the future. And how knows, I may even get some free time in the future and be able to post them. While I may be focusing more of my energies into my schoolwork, my job, and the creation of my manga in hopes of getting it published, but I still plan on trying to work on these at some point. And, for those fans of my "Son Of The Metal" story, I will be updating it when I find time, which is sometimes lacking in the face of that thing called life, but I haven't forgotten about it. However, it is with a heavy heart that I must say that "Agenda-X" has reached its apex, as I have not the capacity in me to pen an epic of that magnitude.

So, that's basically the point of this AN. In any case, I hope you all can be understanding of this decision of mine and that I can hear from you again in the future. Please, no flames or outcries of "update soon" or anything to that nature. I'm swamped with stuff already as it is, I really don't like having people breathing down my neck about it. Besides, in the words of a great man, "I take a long time to do $#!+, be patient."

Also, I will be letting you guys know which of these I plan on allowing to be adopted, like "Faith In Fallen Angels" and "Comfort & Joy" have been. On a similar note, for those of you reading this on "Exiles: Shattered Mirrors, Broken Worlds," I would like to inform you that I have been rewriting this story to have more of a Marvel Comics angle to it, so I will be deleting it shortly to re-upload at a later date, once the prologue and first two chapters have been completed.

Well, hope that's cleared the air for some of you, and I wish you good luck with all your stories in the future. In the end, stay awesome and God bless…

-Erik Howlett.


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